Rudy Giuliani, former NYC Mayor and staunch supporter of Donald Trump, admitted in an overnight court filing that he made “false” statements against two Georgia election workers he accused of rigging the 2020 election, and said he “does not contest” the factual allegations in their defamation lawsuit against him.
In the court filing, which was released Wednesday, Giuliani also said he no longer contests the outcome of the Georgia election. The filing came in response to a motion filed by election workers he accused of “rigging” the state’s vote totals.
The filing reads:
WHEREAS, Defendant Giuliani believes that he has legal defenses to this Complaint; and
WHEREAS, Defendant Giuliani is desirous to avoid unnecessary expenses in litigating what he believes to be unnecessary disputes; now
IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED, solely for the purposes of this litigation that Defendant Giuliani, for the purpose of deciding this case on the legal issues, and recognizing that all other defendants previously identified in the complaint have resolved their claims with all plaintiffs and without admitting to the truth of the allegations, hereby does not contest the following allegations:
1. Defendant Giuliani concedes solely for purposes of this litigation before this Court and on Appeal: that Defendant Giuliani made the statements of and concerning Plaintiffs, which include all of the statements detailed in Plaintiffs Amended Complaint, ECF No. 22 at §§57-101 and he does not dispute for purposes of this litigation, that the statements carry meaning that is defamatory per se;
2. That Defendant Giuliani, for the purposes of this litigation only, published those statements to third parties;
3. That Defendant Giuliani, for the purposes of this litigation only, does not wiliest that, to the extent the statements were statements of fact and other wise actionable, such actionable factual statements were false. This stipulation does not affect Giuliani’s ability to seek setoff, offset or settlement credit, or his argument that his statements are constitutionally protected statements or opinions or any applicable statute of limitations, or that Giuliani’s statements, in fact, caused Plaintiffs any damages, and the amount of any alleged damages which Giuliani’s statements may have caused or any other legal defense not expressly waived by this Stipulation;
4. That Defendant Giuliani does not contest, solely for the purposes of this litigation, including on any appeal in this litigation, the factual elements of liability (subject to any retained affirmative defenses not expressly waived herein) regarding Plaintiffs’ claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress and other related tort claims. This stipulation does not affect Giuliani’s ability to seek setoff, offset or settlement credit, or his argument that his statements are constitutionally protected statements or opinions or any applicable statute of limitations, or that Giuliani’s conduct, in fact, caused Plaintiffs any damages, and the amount of any alleged damages Giuliani’s conduct may have caused or any other legal defense not expressly waived by this Stipulation.
It should be noted that while Giuliani admitted he made “false statements,” the filing maintains that his statements are “constitutionally protected.” While I’m not an attorney, it seems to me that a critical difference exists between sharing one’s opinion and making false allegations.
(Click on the tweet to expand the second page.)
BREAKING overnight: Rudy Giuliani concedes in a court filing that he made “false” statements about Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss and no longer contests the factual allegations in their defamation lawsuit.
Details TK pic.twitter.com/HG7emDhEs7
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) July 26, 2023
Atlanta election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss have sought “severe” sanctions in their case against Giuliani following his failure to produce communications related to former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election fraud claims. As a result of the former mayor’s refusal to provide the communications, Freeman and Moss asked U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell in court filings in early July to rule a “default judgment” in their favor.
The mother and daughter claim they’ve been subjected to relentless attacks since 2020 when both Giuliani and Trump cited them — sometimes by name — while claiming the Georgia election results were rigged. As a result, they seek an unspecified amount in damages, claiming Giuliani’s actions caused severe emotional distress and put them in personal danger.
Typical defamation lawsuit language, but the question remains: Why did Giuliani make such allegations in the first place, which he now admits are false? Enquiring minds want to know.
Incidentally, has anyone seen Sidney “Kraken” Powell, lately?
