# A thread for Rudy {Rudy Giuliani} **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 16, 2023, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355 "2023-08-16T04:08:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/341 "2023-09-26T21:53:10Z")
Some of these latest lawyers to join the fray are so fresh out of law school they’re more like … wait for it … tortellinis. You know, baby tortles. 😁 :eeew: ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/342 "2023-09-26T21:53:47Z")
Perfect! 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/343 "2023-09-26T21:59:59Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > tortellinis You sent me down a shallow rabbit hole where I felt the urge to look up etymologies. Apparently, “tortellini” is the diminutive form of the term “tortello”, which is itself a diminutive of “torta” which means “cake” or “pie” in Italian, supposedly derived from the Latin word “torta” which means “twisted/folded”, the way that a pastry is prepared. “Tort” as used in a legal sense is derived from the same Latin term, but the term “twisted” is used in a sense to mean “wronged, injured”. Also, the word “torque” used to describe rotational power is from the same root. Anway, sorry about the hijack, but I found all of that fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/344 "2023-09-26T22:08:29Z")
Not disagreeing with that, but I think « tort » came into English via French and acquired the technical meaning of a civil wrong in Law French. In French today, « tort » has the meaning of a mistake or error: « J’ai tort » means « I made a mistake. » ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/345 "2023-09-26T22:14:56Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Not disagreeing with that, but I think « tort » came into English via French and acquired the technical meaning of a civil wrong in Law French. Yes, the English “tort” came from Middle English which came from Old French. I cut out a little of the filler. It wasn’t Latin → English directly. To get back to Rudy, he was claiming previously that he’s essentially broke. Is that going to impact every lawsuit that is thrown his way from this point on? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/346 "2023-09-26T22:17:10Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > To get back to Rudy, he was claiming previously that he’s essentially broke. Is that going to impact every lawsuit that is thrown his way from this point on? Depends - has he ever coughed up any reliable financials? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/347 "2023-09-26T22:18:33Z")
He can get public defenders for his criminal cases, if he truly doesn’t have any money. I doubt that applies to civil actions. (In my province, the only civil action covered by Legal Aid are family matters.) But as I always say, I’m merely speculating. Not trained in US law. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/348 "2023-09-26T22:20:16Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Depends - has he ever coughed up any reliable financials? I don’t think so, here is an article: > **[Rudy Giuliani keeps telling judges he's broke, but won't share financial...](https://www.businessinsider.com/rudy-giuliani-says-no-money-court-hide-financial-documents-2023-9)** > > The former top prosecutor is representing himself in several lawsuits instead of hiring a big legal team. So maybe until/unless he provides evidence, it’s meaningless. > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > He can get public defenders for his criminal cases, if he truly doesn’t have any money. I doubt that applies to civil actions. So if he really **is** broke, and Trump (well, his PACs) won’t pay, then he has to scrounge up what he can or do his best to defend himself. Oh boy. The article I posted said he seems to be defending himself right now. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/349 "2023-09-26T23:36:28Z")
Something I’ve never quite understood: remember when Rudy was required to turn over documents, and he asserted that he didn’t have the money to hire a special service that go through his records. The service was something like $300 thou. What was the nature of the documents that he was supposed to surrender, and how does a broken down shyster like Rudy generate so many documents that this service was required? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2023, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/350 "2023-09-27T00:05:38Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > But as I always say, I’m merely speculating. Not trained in US law. you’re correct. No government help for Rudy on the civil cases. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2023, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/351 "2023-09-27T00:22:58Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > What was the nature of the documents that he was supposed to surrender, and how does a broken down shyster like Rudy generate so many documents that this service was required? “documents” here would have a very broad meaning, essentially any record relating to the possible litigation. It would include electronic records, so e-mails, text messages, voice-messages. When you’re busy trying to overthrow an election, and involved in lots of court actions, and lobbying senators, congress critters, and state legislators, it all adds up. Plus, in addition to storing all those records, you need to have a way to access them so that you can respond to specific litigation requirements. Storage, search, and retrieval can be done electronically. The $300,000 price tag seems excessive to me, but I’m not involved in major litigation in the US court system. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2023, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/352 "2023-09-27T16:25:07Z")
Rudy must have a hundred monkeys working at a hundred typewriters to come up with an impenetrable mountain of documents. He wouldn’t need to produce anything before the election, so that should narrow it down. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/353 "2023-09-27T18:47:53Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > The $300,000 price tag seems excessive to me I got the impression he was pulling a play from the trump playbook and not paying the monthly bill for the service, then when he needed them they said pay all the back due amount before we run another query for you. So the big price tag was how much he had already stiffed them, not the fee for running the data query. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/354 "2023-10-04T18:44:36Z")
Rudy sues Biden for ~~being mean to him~~ defamation. [https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4238493-giuliani-sues-biden-for-defamation-over-russian-pawn-remark/](https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4238493-giuliani-sues-biden-for-defamation-over-russian-pawn-remark/) ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/355 "2023-10-04T19:11:40Z")
> Giuliani’s lawsuit alleges the statement “falsely claimed and depicted the Plaintiff to our nation as a liar.” Does Rudy know that truth is a defense to defamation? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/356 "2023-10-04T19:12:14Z")
Plus, wouldn’t he count as a public figure under US defamation law? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/357 "2023-10-04T19:12:59Z")
I hope he represents himself. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/358 "2023-10-04T19:15:27Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Plus, wouldn’t he count as a public figure under US defamation law? Certainly. But that doesn’t extinguish the cause of action, just raises the bar. But, I will go out on a limb and say he won’t win this one. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/359 "2023-10-04T21:30:40Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Does Rudy know that truth is a defense to defamation? Eager to see the defense respond!! ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2023, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355/360 "2023-10-04T21:57:12Z")
> [@susan](#): > > I hope he represents himself. He’ll probably have to. He can’t afford a real lawyer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-rudy-rudy-giuliani/989355.md?page=19)