Rudy Giuliani Faces $148 Million Damages in Georgia Election Workers’ Lawsuit

Legal experts predict Giuliani’s financial troubles may make the damages uncollectible.

Rudy Giuliani, former personal attorney to ex-President Donald Trump, has been ordered by a federal jury to pay $148 million in damages to two Georgia election workers. The workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, testified about the racism and threats they faced after Giuliani falsely claimed they had produced fake ballots during the 2020 election. While the jury’s decision is a significant blow to Giuliani’s already troubled finances, legal experts believe collecting the damages may prove challenging due to his well-documented fiscal issues.

Giuliani’s mounting legal and financial troubles

Since dedicating himself to Trump’s unsuccessful attempt to overturn the 2020 election results, Giuliani has faced numerous legal and financial challenges. The former New York City mayor is currently facing two lawsuits from voting machine companies, a $10 million sexual harassment suit, and a $1.4 million suit from his former lawyers. Additionally, Giuliani, along with Trump and 17 other defendants, has been indicted by the Fulton County district attorney’s office for their role in efforts to overturn Georgia’s election results.

The uphill battle for collecting damages

While Freeman and Moss have been awarded millions of dollars in damages, legal experts believe collecting the full amount from Giuliani will be an uphill battle. Plaintiffs typically have three routes for collecting damages: wage garnishment, attaching a lien on the defendant’s property, or levying the defendant’s bank account. However, even if Giuliani lacks the funds or assets to pay the damages, the judgment will remain indefinitely, potentially allowing for future recovery if he comes into a windfall.

Bankruptcy not a viable option

Bankruptcy is not a viable solution for Giuliani to escape the $148 million judgment. Bankruptcy lawyers explain that under bankruptcy law, debts resulting from “willful and malicious injury caused to another entity or person” cannot be discharged. Similar to the case of Infowars host Alex Jones, who was ordered to pay over $1 billion to the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims, Giuliani cannot use bankruptcy maneuvers to avoid his debt. While there may be a hypothetical path for Giuliani to control the payment process through a bankruptcy case, it would require him to follow all the rules and regulations, which may not be feasible.

Challenges in proving malicious intent

To successfully discharge the debt in bankruptcy court, Giuliani’s attorneys would need to prove that there was no malicious intent behind his actions towards the election workers. Given Giuliani’s status as a public figure, this could be a challenging task. Bankruptcy lawyers suggest that the plaintiffs may struggle to collect even a portion of the settlement due to Giuliani’s ongoing financial troubles.

Conclusion:

Rudy Giuliani’s financial woes have been exacerbated by a federal jury’s decision to order him to pay $148 million in damages to two Georgia election workers. While collecting the full amount may prove challenging, the judgment will follow Giuliani indefinitely, potentially allowing for recovery in the future. Bankruptcy is not a viable option for Giuliani to escape the debt, as it does not apply to debts resulting from willful and malicious injury. As Giuliani’s legal and financial troubles continue to mount, the question remains: where will the funds come from to satisfy the damages owed?