Federal judge delivers major ruling in Rudy Giuliani bankruptcy case
Trump ally Rudy Giuliani's bankruptcy case was dismissed Friday, clearing the way for two Georgia election workers to collect millions after they accused him of defamation.
In court documents posted on X by MSNBC contributor Adam Klasfeld, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean H. Lane called Giuliani's "lack of financial transparency" "particularly troubling."
"Counsel to the Freeman Plaintiffs should settle an order on three days' notice," Lane wrote in concluding the case. "The proposed order should be submitted by filing a notice of the proposed order on the Case Management/Electronic Case filing docket, with a copy of the proposed order attached as an exhibit to the notice."
Giuliani's bankruptcy case was expected to hit the "end of the road" this week, Ryan Goodman, former special counsel for the Department of Defense, told CNN's Erin Burnett on Wednesday evening.
That day, Lane said he was leaning toward dismissing Giuliani’s request for protection, "frankly, because I am concerned that the past is prologue."
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A federal jury awarded $148 million in damages to two Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, the election workers. The duo will likely head to courts in New York, Florida and Washington D.C. to seek an immediate lien against Giuliani's properties, Goodman said, which are worth over $11 million.
The former New York City mayor and Trump adviser filed for bankruptcy in December but has missed court filing deadlines and dodged questions about his finances.
Ted Goodman, a spokesman for Giuliani, told Raw Story in a statement that he was "denied the ability to appeal" the judgment, which called "grossly unfair."
"This whole bankruptcy case was burdened with many of the same voluminous and overly broad discovery requests and other actions—including regular leaks of information—intended to harm the mayor and destroy his businesses," said Goodman.
He called it "yet another example of the effort to punish Mayor Rudy Giuliani as the person most responsible for exposing Hunter Biden's laptop and to deter anyone else from asking questions or getting to the truth."
"We will continue to pursue justice and we are confident that—in the long run—our system of justice will be restored and the mayor will be totally vindicated."
Rudy Giuliani mugshot (image via Maricopa County Sheriff's Office).
A mugshot of Rudy Giuliani released by the Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff's Office on June 10, 2024. (Image via Maricopa County Sheriff's Office).
Raw Story investigative reporter Alexandria Jacobson.