WASHINGTON — Former New York mayor and President Donald Trump’s one-time attorney, Rudy Giuliani, has been ordered by a jury to pay almost $150 million in damages to former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss for defaming them after the 2020 presidential election. However, it remains unclear whether Freeman and Moss will actually receive any of the money.
Giuliani plans to appeal the jury’s verdict, and his attorneys have claimed that he does not have the funds to cover his various debts. Although it is unknown how much Giuliani is worth, his net worth has been a subject of interest in court. Freeman and Moss’s attorneys attempted to gather this information but were unable to do so because Giuliani did not respond to their subpoenas.
The former New York mayor’s financial situation has been a matter of concern. He has already been fined over $200,000 for some of Freeman and Moss’s attorneys’ fees, which he has not paid. Additionally, he owes more than $1 million to defense attorneys who have assisted him in other cases and nearly $60,000 in unpaid phone bills.
Despite his financial challenges, Giuliani has received assistance, even from Trump, in fundraising to offset some of his debts. He listed his Manhattan apartment for sale a few months ago, but it remains on the market for $6.1 million.
Bankruptcy may be an option for Giuliani to protect himself from paying the damages, but this issue will likely need to be decided in court. Even if he were to declare bankruptcy, legal experts believe that the judgment against him would not be affected. Ryan Goodman, a former special counsel at the Department of Defense, stated that Giuliani will still be bound to pay the damages, regardless of whether he declares bankruptcy.
Freeman, one of the plaintiffs in the defamation case, expressed that while the money will never solve all her problems, she wants people to understand the impact of the defamation on her life.
The jury ordered Giuliani to pay a total of $16,171,000 to Freeman for defamation, $16,998,000 to Moss for defamation, $20 million to each woman for emotional distress, and $75 million in punitive damages. The figure surprised even Judge Beryl Howell.
Ken Frydman, a former spokesman for Giuliani, acknowledged that it is unlikely Giuliani will be able to pay the entire judgment. However, he believes that the verdict sends a message and sets a precedent for other defamation cases.
Giuliani, maintaining his stance, plans to appeal the verdict. Despite the hefty sum he has been ordered to pay, he continues to stand by his defamatory comments against Moss and Freeman, providing no evidence to support his claims.