Hunter Biden drops lawsuit against Rudy Giuliani over laptop data
Hunter Biden drops lawsuit against Rudy Giuliani over laptop data
Hunter Biden has agreed to drop a civil lawsuit against Rudy Giuliani and the former New York mayor's lawyer over the release of Biden's private digital data, according to a new court filing Thursday.
The big picture: The lawsuit alleged that Giuliani violated federal law by accessing and disseminating Hunter Biden's digital data from a laptop that had belonged to him. Embarrassing revelations from the data dump fueled a wave of Republican attacks and played a role in the president's son's legal troubles.
- The laptop and info on it were used as evidence against Biden in his recent federal criminal trial. A jury found him guilty of three felony gun charges. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
- The data may also come up in Biden's upcoming trial over federal tax charges in California.
Zoom in: Biden, Giuliani and his lawyer, Robert Costello, agreed to drop the suit without prejudice and for each party to cover their own legal fees, per the filing.
- Biden had originally sought $75,000 in damages in the lawsuit, as well as legal expenses.
Between the lines: It's good news for Giuliani, who can't afford additional legal expenses.
- He filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy at the end of last year over mounting legal expenses, unpaid taxes, potential liabilities from other lawsuits and the $148 million in damages he owes for defaming two Georgia election workers.
Biden's lawyers did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Go deeper: Rudy Giuliani served Arizona indictment same day as his 80th birthday party
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