The Brief
- Rudy Giuliani’s attorneys filed a motion to withdraw from his $148-million defamation case due to a fundamental disagreement on litigation strategy and his lack of cooperation.
- Giuliani is ordered by a judge to surrender assets, including a valuable apartment and a classic car, for his liability in defaming election workers Freeman and Moss.
- Giuliani’s alleged failure to transfer assets by the court-ordered deadline led to an extension, as Georgia election workers’ lawyers claim his apartment was emptied prior to their visit.
- Giuliani was found liable for defamation against election workers and is accused of causing them to receive death threats by making false allegations of ballot fraud.
- The case is set for a forfeiture trial on Jan. 16, 2025, while Giuliani’s lawyers seek exemption from serving a copy of their withdrawal motion to the plaintiffs.
NEW YORK – Attorneys representing Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and ally of former President Donald Trump, filed a motion Wednesday to withdraw from his defense in a high-profile $148-million defamation case in federal court. Giuliani faces a civil lawsuit from Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea’ Moss, who allege Giuliani defamed them with false claims about the 2020 presidential election.
Kenneth Caruso, the lead counsel for Giuliani from Kenneth Caruso Law LLC, had filed the motion in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Wednesday, citing several reasons for seeking withdrawal. The motion, filed also on behalf of co-counsel David Labkowski of Labkowski Law P.A., states that the attorneys can no longer continue the representation due to “a fundamental disagreement” with Giuliani on litigation strategy, as well as his failure to cooperate, which they say has made representation “unreasonably difficult.”
The filing specifically references a New York Professional Rule which permits attorneys to withdraw when there is a fundamental disagreement with the client, an unwillingness by the client to present legally warranted arguments, or a lack of cooperation.…