Judge rejects Rudy Giuliani’s request for new trial in Georgia defamation case

A federal judge has rejected Rudy Giuliani’s request for a new trial in a defamation case brought by two former Fulton County election workers.

In December, a jury in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia awarded Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss more than $148 million in damages because Giuliani falsely and repeatedly accused them of voting fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Giuliani later asked Judge Beryl Howell to override the verdict and order a new trial. On Monday, Howell rejected Giuliani’s request.

Giuliani, a former New York City mayor and one-time attorney for Donald Trump, later filed for bankruptcy, and it’s unclear how much – if anything – Freeman and Moss will ultimately receive. Giuliani has also appealed the jury verdict to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The appeal is still pending.