Rudy Giuliani’s bankruptcy was officially dismissed by a judge on Friday following the resolution of a dispute between him and his creditors regarding the distribution of administrative costs.
The official decree lifts bankruptcy safeguards that allowed the former mayor of New York City to keep control of his assets for months, thus unfreezing the attempts of two Georgia election workers to collect their $148 million defamation judgment against him.
Judge Sean Lane of the United States Bankruptcy Court dismissed Giuliani’s bankruptcy three weeks ago due to his lack of financial openness, which was the root of months of growing hostilities.
However, Lane has been unable to issue his official order due to the expenditures dispute ever since.
The standoff, about how Giuliani would pay about $400,000 to a court-approved company his creditors hired to look into his affairs, finally wore on Lane.
The judge had threatened to compel Giuliani, the former president Trump’s personal attorney, to testify under oath and respond to inquiries regarding his available assets during a contentious hearing and in writing.
An abrupt arrangement was revealed by Giuliani and his creditors in a brief letter that was filed with the court on Wednesday morning.
Giuliani’s bankruptcy protections were immediately lifted and the case was legally dismissed with Lane’s signature on Friday.
Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, two Georgia election workers, can now start taking Giuliani’s property in an effort to collect their $148 million judgment—though they’ll probably end up with far less than that.
Giuliani gave the bankruptcy court information about $10.6 million in assets.
[READ MORE: New York Appeals Court Rejects Trump’s Gag Order]
