In a surprising turn of events, Global Data Risk, a financial investigation firm, has agreed to a last-minute reduction of the $324,843 bill for a bankruptcy probe involving Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York.
The firm filed an emergency application on Thursday, seeking approval from a bankruptcy court for the deal it had negotiated with Giuliani's bankruptcy trustee. However, Giuliani has not yet given his consent to the deal, alleging that he was overbilled by more than $150,000.
As reported by Newsweek, Global Data Risk was commissioned by Giuliani's bankruptcy creditors to scrutinize his finances and ensure that no assets or income were being concealed. Giuliani filed for bankruptcy in December of the previous year after a jury awarded $148 million to two Georgia election workers who had successfully sued him for defamation. Giuliani, who served as Donald Trump's attorney in 2020, had falsely accused Ruby Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss of adding ballots in favor of Joe Biden, who emerged victorious in the state.
Judge Sean Lane has given Giuliani the green light to withdraw his bankruptcy application, but only on the condition that Global Data Risk is compensated for their financial investigations. The firm informed Lane on Thursday that they had reached an agreement on Giuliani's fees with the U.S Trustee, the government office that oversees bankruptcy cases. However, the specifics of the agreement remain undisclosed.
The agreement was reached just as Global Data Risk was preparing to respond to Giuliani's assertion that he had been overbilled. The firm stated, "In an effort to resolve these comments and answer questions prior to the Final Fee Hearing, GDR engaged in productive and good-faith discussions with the U.S. Trustee. On September 19, 2024, GDR and the U.S. Trustee reached a resolution whereby GDR agreed to voluntarily reduce the amount of fees and expenses for which it is seeking this Court's approval on a final basis."
The firm also pointed out that Giuliani's formal objection to their fee is now the only hurdle to resolving the dispute. Giuliani's legal team had formally opposed Global Data Risk's fees in a filing on September 11, accusing the firm of overcharging him by $151,000 and engaging in "duplicative billing." The firm's team has requested permission to file a late response to Giuliani to address the remaining contested issues outlined in Giuliani's opposition.
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