The New York bankruptcy court ruled on Tuesday that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani can appeal the civil court ruling that he defamed Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. But he will not be allowed to use his own money to do so.
A jury awarded the women a stunning $148 million in damages from Giuliani in December, and he filed for bankruptcy shortly after.
According to the bankruptcy court, Giuliani is within his rights to appeal the case, but he can't use his own money that he should be paying to Freeman and Moss, to cover legal fees for the appeal.
"Any fees and expenses incurred by the Debtor and his advisors in the Freeman Litigation in connection with any Post-Trial Filings and the Notice of Appeal shall not be paid by, and shall not result in a claim against, the Debtor or his estate," wrote U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane.
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The ruling comes after a court filing from Freeman and Moss last week, asking about the Giuliani legal defense fund and saying it was "essential to obtain clarity on how the Legal Defense Funds were themselves funded."
The judge ordered Giuliani to reveal who is paying his legal fees.
Giuliani said on Monday that he hasn't directly or indirectly given money to his own legal defense.
Giuliani's one-time press secretary, Ken Frydman, has said the once-revered top prosecutor and NYC mayor is desperately hurting for cash.
"I think he knows that he is not going to live to pay out millions of millions of dollars," Frydman said in December. "He can't even afford a new car, frankly; that's how low on funds he is."
Giuliani is also a co-defendant in Fulton County alongside 18 others, including his one-time client, former President Donald Trump, where he is accused of trafficking conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
Frydman said he believed Giuliani is in a desperate state financially and he predicted he would not be able to pay off the damages later awarded to Freeman and Moss.
