Former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, a mother and daughter, are now seeking more than $100,000 from former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani to cover legal fees incurred on their side in the course of dealing with his antics. Freeman and Moss sued Giuliani after he helped spread conspiracy theories about the duo’s alleged involvement in what truthfully was imaginary election fraud.
The two Georgians subsequently faced serious threats to their safety from individuals who took seriously the nonsensical claims from Giuliani and others. A federal judge recently issued a default judgment against Giuliani and in favor of Freeman and Moss in this case, sending the dispute to trial only to determine the precise amount of financial damages to impose over the underlying claims of defamation and related acts. In the meantime, Giuliani actually already owed Freeman and Moss tens of thousands of dollars to cover legal fees their side had incurred, though as of recently, he’d yet to pay up. (There was another bill for tens of thousands of dollars covering substantially similar costs issued against Giuliani’s personal businesses.)
Delay has been a theme with him, as the default judgment emerged amid failures on his part to comply with the discovery process. Discovery, in this context, is the routine period before trial during which both sides can assemble variously relevant information and materials. Now, the specific additional amount that Freeman and Moss are seeking is $104,256.50, though judges ordinarily must approve the actual dollar amounts made official in such contexts. In this matter, the presiding judge is federal Judge Beryl Howell, famous in part for having until semi-recently led the handling of grand jury matters in her D.C. jurisdiction.
Elsewhere, Trump continues moving towards multiple trials of his own, including a civil trial slated for next month to deal with claims from New York state Attorney General Letitia James of years of deception around finances at the Trump family business. A New York state judge recently rejected a last-minute push from the Trumps’ corner for a delay before trial.
