Judge Ends Rudy Giuliani's Bankruptcy, Lawsuits to Proceed

A U.S. judge has ended Rudy Giuliani’s bankruptcy protection, allowing various lawsuits, including defamation and sexual harassment claims, to proceed. Giuliani filed for bankruptcy after being ordered to pay $148 million to two Georgia election workers. The ruling permits creditors to resume lawsuits but allows Giuliani to appeal the judgment.

A U.S. judge on Friday ended Rudy Giuliani's bankruptcy, enabling lawsuits for defamation, sexual harassment, and other claims to proceed against Donald Trump's former lawyer. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane in White Plains, New York, also prohibited Giuliani from seeking bankruptcy for a year.

Giuliani, 80, sought bankruptcy protection in December after a Washington, D.C., court mandated that he pay $148 million to two Georgia election workers he falsely accused of vote-rigging in the 2020 presidential election, won by Democrat Joe Biden. The bankruptcy halted the election workers from collecting the judgment and froze other lawsuits related to Giuliani's efforts for Trump, the former Republican president, to overturn his 2020 election loss.

The dismissal permits Giuliani's creditors to resume lawsuits but allows him to appeal the $148 million defamation judgment. Former Georgia election workers, Wandrea 'Shaye' Moss and her mother Ruby Freeman, argued for Giuliani's bankruptcy dismissal to collect their $148 million judgment against him.

Other creditors include former employee Noelle Dunphy, who accused Giuliani of sexual assault and wage theft, and voting machine companies Dominion and Smartmatic, who also sued him for defamation. Giuliani has denied the allegations.