Giuliani agrees to stop spreading 2020 vote-tampering lies about Georgia election workers
By Katelyn Polantz, CNN
(CNN) — Rudy Giuliani has agreed to never again publicly accuse two Georgia election workers of tampering with votes in the 2020 election, a false accusation that he has repeated frequently and that led to his bankruptcy.
With the agreement, Giuliani is forfeiting a yearslong verbal and legal battle he’s waged with the election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss. It also gives the women significant power to hold him accountable if Giuliani again publicly suggests they stole votes to hurt former President Donald Trump, which is not true.
A draft of the agreement filed in court Tuesday says Giuliani would be “permanently enjoined from publishing, causing others to publish, and/or assisting in others’ publication of any statements that suggest that Plaintiffs, whether mentioned directly, indirectly, or by implication, engaged in wrongdoing in connection with the 2020 presidential election.”
Attorneys for Freeman and Moss say the agreement would allow them to take Giuliani to court immediately if he repeats potentially defamatory statements.
“Today ends his efforts to profit off of lies about these two heroes of American democracy,” the workers’ attorney Michael Gottlieb said in a statement.
CNN has reached out to Giuliani’s spokesperson for comment.
The agreement was formalized in a Wednesday night court order, setting Giuliani up for potentially severe and swift consequences in court if he breaks it.
False statements he previously made that he can no longer reiterate include his belief that Freeman and Moss tampered with ballots in 2020 and that video captured fake ballots for Joe Biden flooding the counting process in Fulton County.
Freeman and Moss previously sued Giuliani for defamation and won a $148 million judgment against him, which the former mayor of New York has not begun to pay off.
The trial provided a searing glimpse into the harassment election workers suffered while prominent Trump supporters spread lies about the 2020 election. Giuliani is separately facing criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona for his efforts for Trump four years ago, and he has been suspended from practicing law.
Giuliani has pleaded not guilty in both cases, with his arraignment in Arizona taking place earlier Tuesday.
Giuliani is also in Chapter 11 personal bankruptcy, with Freeman, Moss and others pursuing everything he has of value.
The agreement includes Freeman and Moss dropping a second lawsuit they filed against Giuliani on the same day they won the $150 million judgment against him in December, because he continued to make false statements about them.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
The-CNN-Wire
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