Dominion Voting Systems and Rudy Giuliani reached a confidential settlement in the Giuliani Dominion defamation lawsuit on September 26, 2025, ending a $1.3 billion case that had been pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia since January 2021.1The New York Times. Rudy Giuliani Dominion Case Settlement The dollar figure was not disclosed, each side agreed to bear its own attorneys’ fees and costs, and the case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled.2ABC News. Dominion, Rudy Giuliani Reach Confidential Settlement The docket was formally terminated on October 2, 2025.3CourtListener. US Dominion, Inc. v. Giuliani
What Dominion Sued Over
Dominion filed a 107-page complaint on January 25, 2021, weeks after the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.3CourtListener. US Dominion, Inc. v. Giuliani The company sought $650 million in actual damages and $650 million in punitive damages, alleging Giuliani had waged a sustained campaign of lies accusing Dominion of rigging the 2020 presidential election for Joe Biden. The actual-damages figure rested on Dominion’s claim of lost sales; the company reported roughly $90 million in annual revenue at the time.4GW Law. Dominion Voting Systems v. Rudy Giuliani
The complaint cataloged statements Giuliani made on his personal podcast and radio show, on Twitter, on Fox News and Fox Business, and at the rally preceding the Capitol breach.5NBC News. Dominion Voting Systems Sues Rudy Giuliani Over False Election Claims Dominion alleged Giuliani said the company “fixed” the election, conspired to flip votes, and engaged in voter fraud, despite thousands of hand recounts and audits that confirmed the machines had counted ballots accurately.6The Hill. Giuliani Settles Dominion Lawsuit The complaint also alleged Giuliani’s podcast episodes containing election fraud claims doubled as “infomercials” for dietary supplements and fraud protection services, and that the rhetoric produced severe harassment and death threats against Dominion’s founder and employees.4GW Law. Dominion Voting Systems v. Rudy Giuliani
An early bid to end the case failed. In August 2021, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols denied Giuliani’s motion to dismiss, writing that “there is no blanket immunity for statements that are ‘political’ in nature” and that “provably false statements” could be actionable in the context of an election.7Just Security. Court Denial of Motion to Dismiss, Giuliani, Powell, Lindell The case then moved into discovery, where it stayed for four years.
What the Settlement Says, and What It Doesn’t
The deal was announced through a court filing on September 26, 2025. A Dominion spokesperson said only, “The Parties have agreed to a confidential settlement to this matter.” The filing specified that each party would bear its own attorneys’ fees, expenses, and costs.2ABC News. Dominion, Rudy Giuliani Reach Confidential Settlement
No payment amount was made public. An attorney for Giuliani listed in the case did not respond to requests for comment, and Giuliani himself could not be reached.8The Washington Post. Rudy Giuliani Dominion Settlement Defamation There is no public record of Giuliani admitting wrongdoing, issuing an apology, or agreeing to a retraction as part of the deal. The dismissal with prejudice closes the door on Dominion refiling the same claims.
Why Giuliani Settled
The Dominion case resolved against a backdrop of collapsing finances and a separate, much larger defamation judgment.
The Freeman and Moss Judgment
Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss sued Giuliani over false claims that they had tampered with Fulton County ballots. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell entered a default judgment against him after finding he had engaged in “willful misconduct” by refusing to comply with court-ordered discovery, describing his submissions as “non-usable, nonresponsive” data and “indecipherable blobs.”9Courthouse News. Giuliani Loses by Default in Defamation Case Brought by Georgia Poll Workers For purposes of the lawsuit, Giuliani conceded that his statements about the women were false.10CNBC. Judge Orders Default Judgment, Sanctions Against Rudy Giuliani in Election Workers Lawsuit A jury then awarded $148 million, later reduced by a judge to $146 million.11NBC News. Rudy Giuliani Judgment in Defamation Case
Bankruptcy and Disbarment
Giuliani filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on December 21, 2023, listing assets between $1 million and $10 million against roughly $153 million in debt.12NBC News. Rudy Giuliani Files Bankruptcy13The New York Times. Bankruptcy Giuliani Spending14United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York. In re Giuliani, Case No. 23-12055 – Memorandum of Decision
In January 2025, Giuliani settled with Freeman and Moss on undisclosed terms that let him keep his Upper East Side apartment, his Palm Beach condominium, and personal belongings including World Series rings, in exchange for compensation and a pledge never to defame the women again.15Politico. Rudy Giuliani Georgia Defamation Settlement By February 2025, a federal court confirmed he had “fully satisfied his obligations” under that judgment.16ABC News. Rudy Giuliani Pays Fulton County Election Workers
He also lost his ability to practice law. New York revoked his license in July 2024. On September 26, 2024, the D.C. Court of Appeals formally disbarred him, retroactive to August 2021, after an attorney discipline board found his legal challenges to the 2020 election results were “utterly false” and “recklessly so.”17The Washington Post. Rudy Giuliani Disbarred in D.C.18D.C. Courts. In re Giuliani, 21-BG-0423
How the Giuliani Deal Fits Dominion’s Other Cases
Dominion pursued a wide slate of defendants after the 2020 election, and the outcomes varied sharply in scale. Fox News paid $787.5 million to settle on the eve of trial in Delaware Superior Court in April 2023.19The Washington Post. Fox News Dominion Settlement Newsmax settled for $67 million in August 2025, payable in three installments through January 2027, and issued no apology or retraction.20The New York Times. Newsmax Dominion Defamation Lawsuit Settlement Giuliani’s confidential resolution followed a month later.
Dominion’s suits against Patrick Byrne and One America News Network remained in discovery as of the most recent available reporting, both pending before Judge Nichols in Washington, D.C.21NBC News. Dominion and Other Voting Machine Company Defamation Suits The Dominion settlement resolves only the defamation claims Dominion brought; Giuliani’s criminal exposure tied to the 2020 election, including matters in Georgia and Arizona, is separate and unaffected by this deal.