Rudy Giuliani's bankruptcy filing has been tossed by a New York judge, allowing his creditors to start the liquidation process of his assets.
The former Trump advisor and New York City mayor entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December of last year to protect himself from collection on upwards of $500 million in debts, including $148 million which he was ordered to pay two Georgia election workers who he defamed.
But Judge Sean Lane, a bankruptcy judge in New York’s Southern District Court, tossed the filing on Friday afternoon, making Giuliani open to liquidation, and allowing pending suits from Dominion Voting Systems and others to move forward, potentially spelling out even more financial woes.
The ruling, which prevents Giuliani from re-filing for bankruptcy for at least one year, may be a long-awaited relief for those to whom he owes money.
Judge Lane, who said on Wednesday in court that Giuliani’s lack of transparency continued to drag his case down, sided with a group of creditors who argued that the former mayor was attempting to hide his full assets to avoid paying out his debts.
Giuliani, whose attorneys said previously that vacating the bankruptcy would allow them to appeal the massive defamation judgment, has faced a string of legal and financial woes, losing a radio hosting job and his license to practice law in recent months as he repeats debunked election misinformation.
Creditors will now have to fight for a share of Giuliani’s time in court if they seek to liquidate his assets to pay his debts, amidst the former lawyer’s criminal indictment for his fake elector scheme in Arizona and other pending actions.
