Rudy Giuliani may currently prohibited from practicing law, but that has not stopped him from continuing to ruffle feathers in federal courtrooms. After two years of failure to comply with discovery in the defamation lawsuit brought against him by Atlanta poll workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, superior judge Beryl Howell issued a default judgment in August 2023 against the former New York City mayor.
Despite ongoing defiance of the court’s orders, including a refusal to disclose the corporate and financial structure of his podcast company, Giuliani ventured to assert his right to a bench trial just days before the preliminary juror selection process began on December 11th. A bench trial would see the defamation case heard before Judge Howell alone, eliminating the need for a jury.
Freeman and Moss have responded by filing a vehement opposition to Giuliani’s last-minute ploy. The defamation case against Giuliani continues to unfold, with more legal maneuvering likely to follow in the run-up to trial.
For frontline legal updates into the fallout of the Freeman-Moss defamation case, follow Liz Dye on Twitter and listen to her discussions on the Law and Chaos Substack and Opening Arguments podcast, respectively.
Keep up to date with the latest developments in the Freeman v. Herring Networks case via the docket at Court Listener.