(USNewsBreak.com) – A jury found Rudy Giuliani, once known as “America’s Mayor,” guilty of defaming two Georgia election workers in a decision in December. A judge ordered him to pay a whopping $148 million to the victims, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, for the turmoil he inflicted on them. The mother and daughter duo then asked the court to require immediate payment, which it did, and Giuliani filed for bankruptcy. Now, he’s appealing the case.
When Giuliani filed for bankruptcy, it froze the defamation judgment. Freeman and Moss couldn’t collect on the money while the bankruptcy proceedings played out. For Giuliani to file an appeal, a bankruptcy judge had to approve the move.
On Tuesday, February 20, US Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane allowed the appeal to go forward as long as Giuliani didn’t pay the legal fees himself. Judge Lane ordered that “any fees and expenses incurred … shall not be paid by, and shall not result in a claim against, the Debtor or his estate.” The judge must also approve the donors.
Freeman and Moss are also asking the courts to examine Giuliani’s legal defense fund, Giuliani Defense, more closely, asking the court to determine how the one-time advisor to former President Donal Trump financed the fund. The former mayor insisted that he had not put any money into it, directly or indirectly.
Giuliani’s attorneys are hoping that the appeal happens quickly, while the attorneys for Freeman and Moss remain confident the “verdict will not be overturned.” In addition to the appeal, the former mayor’s legal team also renewed their request for a motion for judgment as a matter of law, citing that Giuliani didn’t make his statements regarding the women with malice and claiming protected speech. The court previously rejected those assertions.
At the trial, the defense also requested to exclude the admission of an expert’s testimony as inadmissible. Joseph Sibley, an attorney for Giuliani, wants the testimony stricken from the record or the court to award his client a new trial.
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