NEW YORK CITY – In a virtual court hearing that convened on Friday, a group of individuals and businesses have voiced their claims that they are owed money by Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and personal attorney to former President Donald Trump. This marks the first legal encounter since Giuliani’s declaration of bankruptcy subsequent to his loss in a defamation suit to a pair of Georgia election workers.
The ex-mayor’s legal representation, Attorney Gary Fischoff, informed U.S. bankruptcy judge, Sean Lane, during the two-hour Zoom meeting that Giuliani is unable to pay the significant sum he owes. His debt amounting to a staggering $148 million, is due to Freeman and Moss, election workers whose names were erroneously associated with a 2020 election conspiracy by Giuliani. In light of the former mayor’s current financial constraints, Fischoff cautioned that the other creditors should also prepare for a period of uncertainty.
Fischoff portrays Giuliani as someone wrestling with a plethora of “financial issues” while earning an income as a radio and podcast host. “There’s no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” Fischoff said during the meeting, intimating the grim state of Giuliani’s monetary affairs.
The bankruptcy declaration evidently attracted an eclectic coalition of creditors who had previously filed lawsuits against Giuliani for unrelated disputes. This agglomeration of parties includes multiple parties with vast incongruities. Notably, there’s an employee from a supermarket who ended up in jail after patting Giuliani’s back. The list continues with two elections technology companies originally accused wrongly by Giuliani and a woman who claims that the ex-mayor violated her. Rounding out the list are several of Giuliani’s former attorneys, the IRS, and Hunter Biden, who alleges that Giuliani unlawfully disseminated his personal data after acquiring it from a computer repair shop.
The bankruptcy revelation occurred conveniently a day after a judge demanded Giuliani immediately pay the said sum to Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss. The announcement not only drew the proceedings to a halt but also impeded Giuliani from contesting the verdict.
However, in the recent hearing, Fischoff endeavored to sway Judge Lane to momentarily relinquish his stay, thus providing an avenue for Giuliani to appeal the verdict. Lane heeded to the request on specific parameters emphasizing a shared apprehension about the financial toll and accompanying delay. He also voiced concerns about the misuse of the bankruptcy procedure by the former mayor to circumvent his liabilities.
Attorney Abid Qureshi, who represents a faction of the creditors, advocated for implementing rigid limitations to prevent the case from prolonging unduly. Also, hinting at rifts among Giuliani’s creditors, he warned Judge Lane of potential consequences of a hasty decision in favour of particular parties which might result in others feeling sidelined.
Meanwhile, Ron Kuby, legal advocate for Daniel Gill, a supermarket worker suing Giuliani, noted there was “no disharmony among the creditors.”
