A Big Filing in Defamation Case Against Rudy Giuliani

In a move intended to push a defamation lawsuit against him toward resolution, Rudy Giuliani stated in a late-night Tuesday filing that he "does not contest" the accusations made by two Georgia election workers against him though "without admitting to the truth of the allegations." Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss had accused Giuliani of defaming them by falsely saying the mother-and-daughter pair had committed election fraud while counting 2020 election ballots at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. What you need to know about the filing and its purpose:

• While Giuliani "does not contest" that his statements "carry meaning that is defamatory per se ... the stipulation does not affect Giuliani's ... argument that his statements are constitutionally protected statements or opinions," the two-page filing reads.

• 11Alive explains the filing "is a means of expediting the legal process with the lawsuit," and an aide to Giuliani elaborates. Ted Goodman says the concessions were intended to sidestep the fact-gathering stage and go directly to "legal arguments about whether he can be held liable for the damages Moss and Freeman are seeking," Politico reports.
• The goal, per Goodman, is to "move on to the portion of the case that will permit a motion to dismiss. This is a legal issue, not a factual issue. Those out to smear the mayor are ignoring the fact that this [filing] is designed to get to the legal issues of the case."
• CNN and 11Alive note discovery had been an issue of late, with the women alleging in a motion that Giuliani had not properly preserved and supplied them with the electronic evidence they sought. They were seeking sanctions against him, and a judge warned Giuliani he could indeed face sanctions were he not to collect and turn over the records in question.

(More Rudy Giuliani stories.)