Giuliani, Poll Workers Near Agreement Over Livestream Comments

Rudolph Giuliani and two Georgia poll workers who won a $148 million defamation suit against him are close to reaching a deal to resolve the pair’s allegations that he made new false comments about them.

Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea’ Arshaye “Shaye” Moss say the former New York mayor, during an April video broadcast on his social media, repeated defamatory statements claiming the two rigged 2020 presidential election results. They won their defamation suit against him in December, prompting him to file for bankruptcy.

Freeman and Moss filed a bankruptcy court lawsuit on May 10 accusing him of continuing a “malicious campaign” against them. If they reach a deal with him to resolve the matter by next week, they won’t file a motion to bar him from continuing to make false statements about them, their attorney Aaron Nathan of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP said during a Thursday status conference in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

Freeman and Moss plan to file the motion as soon as Monday absent a resolution. Giuliani is “prepared to be bound by a proposed agreement,” but has a few small requests before he will sign, said his attorney Gary Fischoff of Berger, Fischoff, Shumer, Wexler & Goodman LLP.

Judge Sean Lane, who oversees Giuliani’s bankruptcy, set another status conference for next week.

Just days after his livestream, Giuliani lost his bid in the US District Court for the District of Columbia to obtain a new trial or reduce the award for the election workers. Giuliani on Tuesday lost his latest request to pursue an appeal the original award and the April ruling.

Giuliani had argued that an appeal would benefit his other creditors because he might be able to reduce the amount of the defamation judgment, making more money available to pay down his debts. The former mayor has said he has about $10.6 million in assets against nearly $153 million in liabilities, the bulk of which stem from the defamation award.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, Dubose Miller LLC and United to Protect Democracy represent the poll workers. Berger, Fischoff, Shumer, Wexler & Goodman LLP represents Giuliani.

The case is Freeman v. Giuliani, Bankr. S.D.N.Y., No. 24-12055, hearing 5/16/24.