Giuliani dodged paying legal fees in election worker defamation case, attorneys claim

Rudy Giuliani has failed to comply with a judge’s order to provide information to the attorneys of two Georgia election workers so they can collect fees in a defamation case, the attorneys allege.

A federal judge ruled that Giuliani lost the case by default last month. The election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, sued Giuliani in late 2021 over his baseless statements claiming the duo helped commit election fraud.

Federal Judge Beryl Howell ruled against Giuliani after he refused to turn over evidence in discovery. The judge theorized the loss may have been strategic, with the intent of not releasing evidence that could be used in criminal cases.

“Perhaps, he has made the calculation that his overall litigation risks are minimized by not complying with his discovery obligations in this case,” Howell wrote last month. “Whatever the reason, obligations are case specific and withholding required discovery in this case has consequences.”

Giuliani was ordered to pay $90,000 and his businesses over $40,000 in penalties and fees, though attorneys for the election workers claim they were never given the proper information needed to collect those awards.

Total damages for the trial will be determined at a Dec. 11 hearing.

Giuliani faces a litany of legal and financial troubles, including the Georgia RICO case which charged former President Trump and 18 others — Giuliani included — alleging that the group attempted to overturn 2020 election results in the state.

The former New York City mayor also faces two other defamation suits, both from elections equipment companies over election fraud claims. 

He was sued by his former attorneys this week, demanding $1.4 million in unpaid legal fees.

The Hill has reached out to Giuliani for comment.