'Clever' new lawsuit will force Giuliani to 'shut up' or get tossed in jail: legal expert
Rudy Giuliani was slapped with another defamation lawsuit just days after he was ordered to pay a staggering sum for his election lies, and a legal expert explained why the new complaint was a "clever" attempt to shut him up.
The former New York City mayor was ordered to pay $148 million to Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who filed a new complaint Monday after he continued to push false claims about their work on the 2020 election, and MSNBC legal analyst Barbara McQuade told "Morning Joe" what the new lawsuit was intended to accomplish.
"I think this particular lawsuit is really clever," said McQuade, a former U.S. attorney. "They've already got $148 million as a judgment, so they're not looking for more money. What they really want is for Rudy to shut the hell up. By seeking a court order, an injunction to stop spreading these lies, one of the things that the parties could do if he continues to do it is to seek a contempt order. Once they've got that injunction demanding that he stop, ordering him to stop, if he fails to do so, he could be held in contempt of court and, of course, with contempt, a judge has the ability to jail someone until they comply for up to 18 months.'"
"That may be what they're seeking here, is the ability to hold that over his head, and maybe that'll provide some disincentive to finally cause him to stop spreading these lies," McQuade added.
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