Voting machine maker Dominion Voting Systems on Monday filed a defamation lawsuit against Rudy Giuliani, the personal lawyer of former President Donald Trump, for making unfounded election fraud claims. It follows a similar suit filed by Dominion on Jan. 8 against former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell. Dominion says both were part of a “viral disinformation campaign” that aimed to spread false allegations that the company manipulated votes in the 2020 election in favor of President Joe Biden.
Giuliani repeatedly made false allegations that “went viral and deceived millions of people into believing that Dominion had stolen their votes and fixed the election,” reads the complaint, which was filed in US District Court for the District of Columbia. Dominion says these allegations have damaged its reputation and led to death threats against employees.
“Rudy Giuliani actively propagated disinformation to purposefully mislead voters,” said Dominion CEO John Poulos in a statement on Monday. “Not only have these lies damaged the good name of my company, but they also undermined trust in American democratic institutions, drowning out the remarkable work of elections officials and workers, who ensured a transparent and secure election. The thousands of hand recounts and audits that proved machines counted accurately continue to be overshadowed by disinformation.”
US election security officials have said there’s no evidence any voting system deleted or lost votes, calling the 2020 US presidential election “the most secure in American history.”
Dominion is seeking more than $1.3 billion in damages from Giuliani.
Giuliani couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.