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Rudy Giuliani<\/strong> filed<\/a> for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Thursday as he seeks to appeal a jury\u2019s stunning $148 million judgment to two Georgia election workers whom he defamed after the 2020 presidential election.<\/p>\n The filing came a day after the federal judge who oversaw the case handed down an order that would immediately force Giuliani to pay out the judgment awarded to Ruby Freeman<\/strong> and Wandrea \u201cShaye\u201d Moss<\/strong>, election workers in Fulton County, Georgia in 2020.<\/p>\n The women said the former New York City mayor\u2019s false comments against them after Republican Donald Trump<\/strong> lost Georgia by a narrow margin to Democrat Joe Biden<\/strong> led to death threats that made them fear for their lives.<\/p>\n The judge, Beryl A. Howell<\/strong>, wrote that Giuliani would not be given the typical 30 days out of concern that the former New York mayor would \u201cconceal his assets.\u201d<\/p>\n Giuliani\u2019s political adviser, Ted Goodman<\/strong>, said in a statement that the bankruptcy filing \u201cshould be a surprise to no one\u201d because \u201cno person could have reasonably believed that Mayor Rudy Giuliani would be able to pay such a high punitive amount.\u201d<\/p>\n The filing \u201cwill afford Mayor Giuliani the opportunity and time to pursue an appeal, while providing transparency for his finances under the supervision of the bankruptcy court, to ensure all creditors are treated equally and fairly throughout the process,\u201d Goodman said.<\/p>\n The filing lists over $152 million in debts, which include, in addition to the $148 defamation judgment, more than seven figures in back taxes, and over $1.5 million in debt to two law firms.<\/p>\n The filing also lists \u201cunknown\u201d amounts of debt from several pending lawsuits, including ones filed by election technology companies Smartmatic and Dominion Voting Systems, Hunter Biden<\/strong>, and a former employee who accused Giuliani of sexual assault and abuse earlier this year.<\/p>\n Once referred to as \u201cAmerica\u2019s Mayor\u201d in the wake of 9\/11, the one-time GOP presidential candidate is now in a financial and legal morass of investigations, fines, and lawsuits because of his work helping Trump\u2019s attempts to overturn the 2020 election.<\/p>\n Freeman and Moss\u2019s attorney, Michael Gottlieb<\/strong>, told<\/a> the Washington Post<\/em> that Giuliani\u2019s \u201cmaneuver is unsurprising, and it will not succeed in discharging Mr. Giuliani\u2019s debt.\u201d Under bankruptcy law, debts stemming from a \u201cwillful and malicious injury\u201d cannot be discharged. In an appeal, Giuliani is likely to try to relitigate whether his actions qualify as such.<\/p>\n Since the jury handed down its verdict last week, Giuliani has continued to repeat conspiracy theories about Freeman and Moss while denying the jury\u2019s conclusions in the defamation suit.<\/p>\n In an episode of his radio show Thursday, the former Trump advisor and personal attorney called the jury\u2019s $148 million punitive judgment \u201can irrational amount of money,\u201d adding that the judgment \u201cis so irrational it tells you the trial was irrational because the result is the result of a completely unfair trial.\u201d<\/p>\n Giuliani\u2019s claims led Freeman and Moss to file another lawsuit<\/a> Monday, seeking a court order to keep Giuliani from repeating the election conspiracies. Giuliani\u2019s statements, written by Freeman and Moss\u2019s attorneys, \u201cmake clear that he intends to persist in his campaign of targeted defamation and harassment. It must stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n