Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Southern District of New York. This comes just a day after a federal judge allowed two election workers, Wandrea "Shaye" Moss and her mother Ruby Freeman, to enforce a $146 million defamation judgment against Giuliani.
The bankruptcy petition filed by Giuliani lists his debts, with the prominent one being the $148 million defamation judgment awarded to Moss and Freeman. Other potential future debts listed include lawsuits filed against Giuliani by Hunter Biden, Noelle Dunphy, and voting machine companies Smartmatic and Dominion. Lawsuits filed by Dominion's staffer Eric Coomer are also pending.
Giuliani's political advisor, Ted Goodman, stated that the bankruptcy filing should come as no surprise, as it was unlikely that Giuliani would be able to pay such a high punitive amount. Chapter 11 bankruptcy will allow Giuliani to pursue an appeal while providing transparency for his finances under the supervision of the bankruptcy court.
Moss and Freeman's representative did not respond to a request for comment.
Giuliani's defamation claims stemmed from his false claims of fraud during the 2020 presidential election. He falsely accused Moss and Freeman of engaging in election fraud and made other baseless allegations. Both women reported receiving racist death threats as a result of these false claims.
Giuliani lost the defamation case in August for failing to provide evidence to Moss and Freeman. A trial was held in December to determine the amount of damages owed. Under Section 523(a)(6) of the Bankruptcy Code, defamation damages are typically not discharged in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Giuliani also faces a sexual abuse lawsuit filed by Dunphy and allegations of illegal hacking related to accessing Hunter Biden's computer data.
It remains to be seen how the bankruptcy filing will impact the pending lawsuits against Giuliani and the resolution of his debts.