Rudy Giuliani failed to comply with a judge’s order to provide information to the lawyers of two Georgia election workers so they could collect compensation in a defamation case, the lawyers said.
A federal judge ruled that Giuliani lost the case by default last month. The election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, sued Giuliani in late 2021 over his unsubstantiated claims that the duo helped commit election fraud.
Federal Judge Beryl Howell ruled against Giuliani after he refused to turn over discovery evidence. The judge believed that the loss would be strategic, with the aim of not releasing evidence that could be used in criminal cases.
“Perhaps, he made the calculation that his overall litigation risks would be minimized by not complying with his discovery obligations in this case,” Howell wrote last month. “Regardless of the reason, the obligations are case-specific and the withholding of necessary discovery in this case has consequences.”
Giuliani was ordered to pay $90,000 and his businesses more than $40,000 in penalties and fees, although attorneys for the election workers said they were not provided with the proper information needed to collect the awards. .
Total damages for the trial will be determined at a hearing on December 11.
Giuliani has faced a litany of legal and financial problems, including a Georgia RICO lawsuit accusing former President Trump and 18 others — Giuliani included — of alleging the group tried to reverse- 2020 state election results announcement.
The former New York City mayor also faces two other defamation charges, from election equipment companies over claims of election fraud.
His former lawyers sued him this week, seeking $1.4 million in unpaid legal fees.
The Hill has reached Giuliani for comment.
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