Giuliani Files for Bankruptcy Following $148M Defamation Judgment
On Thursday, Rudy Giuliani, the former personal lawyer to former US Pres. Donald Trump, filed for bankruptcy in the aftermath of last week’s defamation verdict ordering him to pay $148M....
Facts
- On Thursday, Rudy Giuliani, the former personal lawyer to former US Pres. Donald Trump, filed for bankruptcy in the aftermath of last week’s defamation verdict ordering him to pay $148M.1
- Ted Goodman, a political adviser to Guiliani, said the filing “should be a surprise to no one” considering the “high punitive amount” awarded to two Georgia election workers who received death threats and suffered other harm after Giuliani accused them without proof of tampering with the 2020 presidential election.2
- According to Giuliani’s filing in New York, he has between $1M and $10M in estimated assets and approximately $153M in liabilities.3
- The filing shows Giuliani owes the Internal Revenue Service $724K in income tax and owes New York State $265K. He also lists “unknown” debts to voting systems companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic USA for suits those organizations brought against him.4
- Also listed is a debt to Pres. Joe Biden's son, Hunter, for an unknown amount related to a September suit the younger Biden brought over an alleged violation of his digital privacy.4
- As defamation is an “intentional tort,” Giuliani shouldn’t be able to avoid the $148M defamation judgment. But, according to Goodman, filing for bankruptcy buys Giuliani time to appeal the ruling and be transparent about his finances.5
Sources: 1Associated Press, 2USA Today, 3Forbes, 4CBS and 5Business Insider.
Narratives
- Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by Newsmax. This case was an extension of the many political assaults on Trump and his associates, and If it wasn’t for this destructive judgment, Giuliani would be quite comfortable financially. The former Trump lawyer had to make this filing in order to protect himself and those he owes more reasonable sums of money after the biased judge allowed the plaintiffs to immediately go after Giuliani’s assets.
- Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by Washington Examiner. Unfortunately for Giuliani, he’s just the latest in a long line of people who’ve fought on Trump’s behalf and come out the other end with their reputations and lives in shambles. Once beloved by a large swath of the US, Giuliani lied and defamed people on Trump’s behalf, and Trump left his lawyer high and dry financially and politically.
