Rudy Giuliani speaks to reporters after Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump spoke at a primary election night party in Nashua, N.H., Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
With a filing on the bankruptcy court docket in New York entered Wednesday, Rudy Giuliani has officially been ordered to testify in person next month about the state of his finances in the wake of a court order that he pay the former election workers he defamed, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, $148 million.
Giuliani filed for bankruptcy shortly after the court order in December and it effectively put a stay on any attempts to collect by Freeman and Moss. Last month, Freeman and Moss urged a court in Washington, D.C., to deny a request from Giuliani that sought an exception to the stay that would have allowed him to pursue legal efforts to modify the award amount. It also left open a door for him to request a new damages trial.
The women accused Giuliani of “looking to have his cake and eat it too,” court records showed.
In the order reviewed by Law&Crime on Wednesday, it explained clearly that when Giuliani goes to meet with his creditors for a hearing on Feb. 7, as debtor, he “must attend the meeting to be questioned under oath.”
It also states: “The filing of the case imposed an automatic stay against most collection activities. This means that creditors generally may not take action to collect debts from the debtors or the debtors’ property. For example, while the stay is in effect, creditors cannot sue, garnish wages, assert a deficiency, repossess property, or otherwise try to collect from the debtors. Creditors cannot demand repayment from debtors by mail, phone, or otherwise.”
A representative for Giuliani was not immediately available for comment Wednesday, nor was an attorney for Freeman or Moss.
Giuliani refused to testify at the trial to determine damages he owed to Freeman and Moss. He also continued to defame the women as proceedings were underway, prompting them to sue him again.
Though the bankruptcy notice orders Giuliani to attend the meeting in person; whether he will is uncertain. He was habitually absent in the run-up to the defamation trial in Washington, D.C., drawing the ire and incredulity of the presiding judge when Giuliani’s attorney offered thin excuses for his client’s absence.
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