Rudy Giuliani, the former lawyer for ex-president Donald Trump, is no longer disputing that he made false and defamatory statements about two former Georgia election workers. However, in a recent court filing, Giuliani argues that his claims about vote-rigging in the 2020 presidential election were constitutionally protected speech and did not harm the workers.
The filing, submitted on Tuesday in federal court in Washington, is the latest development in a lawsuit brought by Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, who were ballot counters in Fulton County, Georgia during the November 2020 election.
In their defamation lawsuit filed in late 2021, Freeman and Moss claimed that Giuliani and employees of right-wing news organization One America News (OAN) spread baseless conspiracy theories about them. Giuliani has denied these allegations, and OAN settled with Freeman and Moss last year for an undisclosed amount.
In his recent filing, Giuliani acknowledges that he made statements that are defamatory. He also admits that some of his statements were false, as alleged by the election workers.
However, Giuliani's lawyer clarifies that this admission does not mean he agrees with the plaintiffs' claims. Instead, Giuliani is using this legal maneuver to expedite the litigation process.
Giuliani maintains that his statements are protected by the Constitution and do not cause any harm to the plaintiffs. His lawyer argues that this stipulation would prevent the need for further discovery in the case.
Earlier this month, sanctions were imposed on Giuliani for failing to timely search for and produce records. The federal judge overseeing the case issued this order after Freeman and Moss's lawyers accused Giuliani of neglecting his obligations.
Giuliani's filing states that he is making these stipulations to avoid unnecessary expenses and disputes.
Ted Goodman, an adviser to Giuliani, reiterated that the former mayor did not admit to the falsehood of his statements but chose not to contest them to proceed with a motion to dismiss. Goodman emphasizes that this is a legal issue, not a factual one.
The filing also specifies that these stipulations only apply to the Georgia case, likely to limit Giuliani's legal exposure in other investigations, including the one led by special counsel Jack Smith.
Freeman and Moss's lawyer, Michael J. Gottlieb, expressed satisfaction with Giuliani's concession. He stated that Giuliani's stipulation confirms that Freeman and Moss fulfilled their civic duties lawfully and that the allegations of election fraud against them were false. Gottlieb looks forward to presenting the remaining aspects of the case at trial.
In their lawsuit, Freeman and Moss claimed that they faced vitriol, threats, and harassment due to the false claims spread by Giuliani and OAN. They allege that Giuliani repeatedly used misleading security footage to falsely suggest deliberate mishandling of ballots.
