Two Georgia election workers who sued and won a defamation suit against former Donald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani are requesting more than $100,000 in attorney fees.
“Plaintiffs respectfully move this Court to award $104,256.50 in attorneys’ fees,” lawyers for Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss wrote.
In a Friday filing, Freeman and Moss — who alleged that the Trump ally spread conspiracy theories about them — detailed that the $104,256.50 in attorneys’ fees would be the compensation for 172.5 hours of work done by seven lawyers from Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and three lawyers from Protect Democracy.
The rate for those lawyers range from $1,875 per hour to $520 and “reflect the training, skill, experience, and reputation of the attorneys that work for the firm and align with the prevailing market rates of similarly situated law firms that practice the same type of complex federal litigation,” according to the court document.
The request for attorney fees came two weeks after a federal judge ruled that Giuliani – who had been delaying trial by refusing to turn in discovery — forfeits the defamation lawsuit that was brought against him by Freeman and Moss. The mother-daughter duo alleged they were targeted and threatened after the Trump ally spread conspiracy theories about them, claiming they tampered with ballots during the 2020 election. Those false claims have been debunked and discredited by state and federal authorities.
U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell found Giuliani legally liable for defaming the duo after he violated orders to preserve and produce relevant evidence relating to the case.
“Just as taking shortcuts to win an election carries risks — even potential criminal liability — bypassing the discovery process carries serious sanctions,” Howell wrote.
“Given the willful shirking of his discovery obligations in anticipation of and during this litigation, Giuliani leaves little other choice,” the judge added. “Default judgment will be entered against Giuliani … holding him civilly liable on plaintiffs’ defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy, and punitive damage claims, and Giuliani is directed to reimburse plaintiffs for attorneys’ fees and costs associated with their instant motion.”
It is still unclear how much money in total the duo will seek in damages — for the damage to their reputations and other harms they say they faced, such as threats.
A jury will determine that exact amount in a trial.
Read the court filing here:
