Rudy Giuliani was scolded by the judge in his defamation case for withholding information. Now, a bankruptcy court won’t allow the former Trump attorney to dodge the question of who, exactly, is behind the fund paying his legal bills.

The move comes after two women who sued him for defamation — and won, to the tune of nearly $150 million — questioned whether he’s using the fund to hide his own assets. He’s been ordered to respond and disclose the names of big donors.

Giuliani says he’s broke and can’t afford to pay his bills. His legal costs are being paid out of a donor fund, but the question is whether any of the cash in that legal fund comes from his own business and personal money, as Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss suggest.

Any money he’s pouring into his own legal fund could result in a diminution of their eventual payment on the judgment ordered.

Giuliani has been simply telling the court that there are “hundreds of donors,” but now he’s being pressed to explain and give an answer, in writing, under oath, as to whether any of those funds are connected to his businesses or his own estate. According to Bloomberg:

“But Judge Sean H. Lane of the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York pushed for a definitive answer, in writing…Philip C. Dublin of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, representing a committee of Giuliani’s unsecured creditors, said Friday that the committee wants an itemized account of where the money came from, how it’s managed, and how it’s disbursed.”

Moss and Freeman, who were forced into hiding after Giuliani spread lies about them, falsely claiming that they conspired to alter votes in the 2020 election, are concerned that the former NYC Mayor could be using this legal fund to move cash that might otherwise pay their judgment. Newsweek reported:

“Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss say Giuliani ‘has not disclosed basic information’ to show his lawyers aren’t financed using funds from his own estate…In a separate filing on the same day, Giuliani’s other major creditors argued that the former Donald Trump attorney has refused to provide sufficient information about his legal defense funds.”

In his defamation case, Giuliani successfully dodged turning over information through a series of strategies including claiming he didn’t have access to it, turning over what plaintiffs argued was incomplete information, and simply missing deadlines.

In that case, the penalty was that the judge ordered the jury to assume that he was hiding his net worth on purpose. In bankruptcy court, the failure to file as ordered could result in a dismissal with dire financial consequences for Giuliani.

Stephanie Bazzle
Steph Bazzle is a news writer who covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph. Sign up for all of her stories to be delivered to your inbox here:
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