ATLANTA — A federal bankruptcy court judge said on Wednesday he is leaning toward dismissing Rudy Giuliani's bankruptcy case after two former Georgia election workers Giuliani defamed agreed it would be the best way for them to collect at least part of a $148 million judgment against the former New York City mayor.

Dismissal would remove the shield surrounding Giuliani's assets and allow the election workers -- Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss -- and other creditors to pursue his money in the courts.

It would also allow Giuliani to appeal the defamation judgment.

Giuliani filed for bankruptcy in December 2023 after a jury ordered him to pay nearly $150 million to Freeman and Moss for defaming them with false accusations that the mother and daughter committed election fraud while the two were counting ballots in Georgia's Fulton County on Election Day in 2020.

The bankruptcy judge signaled he would rule Friday during another hearing.

Court records showed that Giuliani has less than $100,000 cash and a dwindling retirement account. Earlier this month he was disbarred in New York over his "false and misleading" statements about the 2020 election.

He also faces criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

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