Rudy Giuliani just lost a defamation lawsuit brought against him by two election workers in Georgia. And he lost it ‘by default’.
What that means is, according to the judge, Giuliani refused comply with discovery demands and therefore she ruled against him.
Here’s more via JTN:
Former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani lost by default Wednesday in a defamation lawsuit filed by two Georgia election workers and a judge imposed sanctions on him in the case.
In a scathing 57-page ruling, federal Judge Beryl Howell criticized Giuliani for not producing evidence as required for the case filed by election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, resulting in the default loss.
The judge also ordered Giuliani to pay the plaintiffs’ attorneys fees totaling tens of thousands of dollars.
The ruling follows Giuliani’s concession in July that he made “false” and “defamatory” statements about the election workers.
The former New York mayor is already facing financial difficulties due to his numerous legal battles.
According to Politico:
In an unsparing, 57-page ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell said Giuliani had flagrantly violated her orders to preserve and produce relevant evidence to the election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, resulting in a “default” judgment against him. She also ordered him to pay Freeman and Moss “punitive” damages for failing to fulfill his obligations.
The ruling means the case will now proceed to a trial purely to determine the amount of damages Giuliani will have to pay the two election workers.
“Just as taking shortcuts to win an election carries risks — even potential criminal liability — bypassing the discovery process carries serious sanctions,” Howell wrote.
A jury will decide the punitive damages and I’m sure that won’t go well for Giuliani.
We posted in late July that Giuliani claimed his admission of guilt wasn’t really an admission of guilt, that he was simply trying to move the case toward dismissal. Clearly that ‘procedure’ didn’t work and, honestly, it blew up in his face.