The former mayor of New York is facing massive legal bills after defending Trump

2023-08-16 08:24:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Rudy Giuliani is facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills and sanctions amid multiple lawsuits in addition to new criminal charges related to his work for Donald Trump after the 2020 election.

In court Monday, the former New York City mayor said the legal quagmire has left him penniless. He even seems to have responded to the crisis by putting up a 3-bedroom apartment in Manhattan for $6.5 million.

Not including standard legal fees, Giuliani faces nearly $90,000 in sanctions from a judge in a defamation case, a $20,000 monthly fee for a company to hold his electronic records, $15,000 or more for a search of his his data and even a $57,000 judgment against him from a company for unpaid phone bills.

While he has refused in court to provide details of his financial situation, his lawyers wrote this week that "the production of a detailed financial report is only intended to embarrass Mr. Giuliani and draw attention to his situation."

Giuliani's financial situation is likely to become even more difficult in the coming days. He faces potentially dangerous court rulings against him in two defamation lawsuits related to the 2020 election.

While Giuliani's attorneys' fees have not been paid directly by Trump's political action committee, Trump's PAC paid more than $300,000 in May to a company that handles Giuliani's archived records for the preservation of evidence in court cases, according to federal campaign finance records and court filings.

"He is struggling financially," Giuliani's lawyers said in a filing this month in a civil defamation suit brought against him by two Georgia election workers. "Giuliani needs more time to pay attorneys' fees and would like the opportunity to ask the Court for an extension."?

Giuliani is facing impeachment proceedings in DC and New York. His license has been suspended, which, according to lawyers, makes his financial situation even more difficult.

The criminal charges that Fulton County District Attorney Fanny Willis filed against Trump, Giuliani and 17 others will add to the former mayor's legal bills.

The Georgia indictment against former President Donald Trump is pictured Monday, Aug. 14, 2023.

This prosecution is separate from the looming federal election-rigging investigation into Giuliani. He is "Co-Conspirator 1" in special counsel Jack Smith's indictment of Trump in connection with efforts to sway the 2020 election. While he has not been indicted, prosecutors continue to investigate, including talking to Giuliani ally Bernie Kerik about what Giuliani did to prove that Trump actually won the election, Kerik's lawyer told CNN.?

Following his indictment in Georgia, Giuliani political aide Ted Goodman released a statement calling the case "an affront to American Democracy."/ CNA