Rudy Giuliani, the former lawyer for Donald Trump, has stopped contesting in a legal sense that he made false and defamatory statements about two former Georgia election workers. However, in a recent court filing, Giuliani argues that his false claims about vote-rigging in the 2020 presidential election were constitutionally protected speech and did not harm the workers. This filing comes as part of a lawsuit brought by Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, who counted ballots in Fulton County, Georgia during the November 2020 election. Giuliani admits that some of his statements were false and defamatory but states that this does not affect his argument that his statements are constitutionally protected speech and did not cause any damages to the plaintiffs. Giuliani's lawyer claims that this legal maneuver is aimed at speeding up the litigation process. Giuliani was recently sanctioned in the case for failing to timely search for and turn over records. The filing states that Giuliani is making these stipulations to avoid unnecessary expenses in the litigation process.
Rudy Giuliani, the former lawyer for Donald Trump, has stopped contesting in a legal sense that he made false and defamatory statements about two former Georgia election workers. However, in a recent court filing, Giuliani argues that his false claims about vote-rigging in the 2020 presidential election were constitutionally protected speech and did not harm the workers. This filing comes as part of a lawsuit brought by Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, who counted ballots in Fulton County, Georgia during the November 2020 election. Giuliani admits that some of his statements were false and defamatory but states that this does not affect his argument that his statements are constitutionally protected speech and did not cause any damages to the plaintiffs. Giuliani's lawyer claims that this legal maneuver is aimed at speeding up the litigation process. Giuliani was recently sanctioned in the case for failing to timely search for and turn over records. The filing states that Giuliani is making these stipulations to avoid unnecessary expenses in the litigation proceses
The filing also says that the stipulations are limited to the Georgia case — an apparent move to limit legal exposure elsewhere, including in the investigation of special counsel Jack Smith.
Michael J. Gottlieb, a lawyer for Freeman and Moss, said Wednesday that his clients were “pleased” with Giuliani’s concession
“Giuliani’s stipulation concedes what we have always known to be true — Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss honorably performed their civic duties in the 2020 presidential election in full compliance with the law; and the allegations of election fraud he and former-President Trump made against them have been false since day one,” Gottlieb said in a statement. “While certain issues, including damages, remain to be decided by the court, our clients are pleased with this major milestone in their fight for justice, and look forward to presenting what remains of this case at trial.”
In their lawsuit, Freeman and Moss said they became “the objects of vitriol, threats, and harassment” as a result of the “malicious lies” spread by Giuliani and OAN. Among other things, Giuliani repeatedly claimed that misleading security footage of Moss and Freeman was proof that ballots had been deliberately mishandle
The lawsuit also contends that Giuliani pushed his claims about vote-rigging long after Georgia election officials made statements debunking them
Giuliani’s conduct in Georgia was part of a far broader effort to overturn the 2020 election results for Trump, who continues to falsely claim that the election was rigged. Among other consequences for Giuliani, a D.C. Court of Appeals committee that oversees attorney conduct has recommended that he be disbarred for “unparalleled” attempts to reverse the 2020 results
