Dominion Voting Systems files $1.3B defamation suit against Giuliani

Dominion Voting Systems on Monday filed a lawsuit against Rudy Giuliani alleging that the former New York City mayor spread numerous defamatory statements about the voting machine company while he helped lead former President Trump’s failed post-election legal campaign.

The company is seeking $1.3 billion in damages over what it called a “viral disinformation campaign,” alleging that Giuliani made malicious false accusations against Dominion, including that the company had engaged in voter fraud and election fixing.

“For Dominion — whose business is producing and providing voting systems for elections — there are no accusations that could do more to damage Dominion’s business or to impugn Dominion’s integrity, ethics, honesty, and financial integrity,” reads the 107-page complaint filed in federal court in Washington, D.C.

Dominion alleges that Giuliani continued to falsely accuse the company of fixing the 2020 presidential election by manipulating votes even after independent audits and hand recounts disproved his claims.

It also notes that while Giuliani lodged numerous accusations against Dominion in media appearances, he was unwilling to do so when he represented the Trump campaign in federal court in Pennsylvania, where he would risk sanctions for knowingly making false statements.

“Notably, although Dominion machines were used in Pennsylvania in the 2020 election, the Trump Campaign’s complaint did not include any allegations about Dominion,” the lawsuit filed Monday states.

The defamation suit against Giuliani comes after Dominion filed a similar lawsuit earlier this month against pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell for promoting “a false preconceived narrative” about the 2020 vote, which included unsubstantiated claims that the company was established in Venezuela as part of a vote-rigging operation in favor of the late socialist leader Hugo Chávez.

Dominion has also left open the possibility that it might sue Trump and his media allies for defamation.

The complaint against Giuliani claims he worked in concert with Powell and pro-Trump lawyer Lin Powell, as well as Fox News, Newsmax, One America News Network and My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, to press false claims that have fueled harassment and death threats against Dominion employees.

In a statement to The Hill, Giuliani said the $1.3 billion amount sought by Dominion is “intended to frighten people of faint heart.” He added that the litigation would allow him to “investigate their history, finances, and practices fully and completely.”

Dominion’s lawsuit is “another act of intimidation by the hate-filled left-wing to wipe out and censor the exercise of free speech, as well as the ability of lawyers to defend their clients vigorously,” he said. “As such, we will investigate a countersuit against them for violating these Constitutional rights.”

Last week Giuliani was the subject of multiple requests for legal disciplinary action. A national lawyers group asked a New York court panel to suspend his law license and undertake a review of his role in promoting false election fraud claims that some argue fueled the insurrection at the Capitol earlier this month.

Separately, New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman (D), who chairs the state Senate Judiciary Committee, referred Giuliani for disbarment.

Updated at 11:35 a.m.