NEW YORK – Rudy Giuliani reached a deal Thursday that lets the cash-strapped ex-New York City mayor keep his homes and belongings, including prized World Series rings. 

The deal was in exchange for unspecified compensation and a promise to never again speak ill of two former Georgia elections workers who won a $148 million defamation judgment against him.

Giuliani’s legal trouble

The backstory:

Rudy Giuliani, once known as “America’s Mayor” for his leadership after 9/11, faced legal challenges after serving as President Trump’s personal attorney.

Following the 2020 election, Giuliani made false claims about two Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, leading to a $148 million defamation judgment against him.

Giuliani’s settlement

What we know:

Giuliani reached a settlement allowing him to keep his homes and World Series rings in exchange for unspecified compensation and a promise not to defame Freeman and Moss again.

The agreement resolves all pending litigation and cancels a trial that was set to determine the ownership of his Florida condominium and rings.

Giuliani stated that the settlement “does not involve an admission of liability or wrongdoing.”

What does Freeman, Moss get?

What we don’t know:

The specifics of the settlement, including the amount Giuliani agreed to pay Freeman and Moss, remain undisclosed.

It is unclear how Giuliani is financing the settlement or if he has any assistance in doing so.

Giuliani’s legal troubles unfolded

Timeline:

Giuliani filed for bankruptcy shortly after the defamation verdict, pausing collection efforts.

Last week, a judge found Giuliani in contempt for failing to disclose information about his assets.

The settlement was reached after three days of negotiations, just before a trial was set to begin.

Freeman, Moss react

What they’re saying:

FFreeman and Moss expressed relief, stating, “The past four years have been a living nightmare… Today is a major milestone in our journey.”

Giuliani remarked, “This litigation has taken its toll on all parties,” and emphasized that no one deserves threats or harassment.

Chapter closed for Giuliani

What’s next:

With the settlement in place, Freeman and Moss can move forward with their lives.

Giuliani retains his assets and has agreed not to speak ill of the women again, marking a significant step in closing this chapter of his career.

January 16, 2025

Renowned speaker and higher education leader Walter Kimbrough, Ph.D., will deliver the keynote address at Georgia Southern University’s celebration of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy on Friday, Jan. 17. 

“Dr. Kimbrough is an established leader in higher education and has recently emerged as a voice on free speech, which is a timely topic and a hallmark of campuses of higher education,” said Associate Vice President for Organizational Effectiveness, Leadership Development, and Inclusive Excellence, Dominique Quarles, Ph.D. “I am excited to have Dr. Kimbrough, someone who has served as a college president for two decades, discuss the challenges and importance of free speech within our community.” 

A champion for student success and economic development for historically Black colleges and universities, Kimbrough has served in student affairs roles at Emory University, Georgia State University, Old Dominion University and Albany State University, among others. He was named the 12th president of Philander Smith College in 2004. In 2012, he became the 7th president of Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he served for 10 years. Presently, he serves as the interim president of Talladega College.

“Being asked to give a Martin Luther King, Jr. address is one of the engagements I accept with the deepest humility because it is an awesome responsibility,” said Kimbrough. “It is an opportunity to place in context the work of Dr. King which has been watered down to predictable sound bites, sharing parts of his work we never mention.”

Georgia Southern’s celebration of King’s legacy is open to the University community. The breakfast celebration event will be held on the Statesboro Campus at 8:30 a.m. in the Williams Center Multipurpose Room. The lunch celebration will be held on the Armstrong Campus in Savannah in the Armstrong Center Ballroom at 12:30 p.m.

Georgia Southern students are also encouraged to attend the King Holiday Celebration Parade in Statesboro Jan. 18, as well as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Parade in Savannah Jan. 20.

January 16, 2025

When the power goes out during a storm, there’s a team with a Georgia Southern University student at the Georgia Transmission Corporation (GTC) responsible for looking into what happened. Elizabeth Sills, a computer and electrical engineering senior from Savannah works in the system reliability department for the GTC.engin

“If there’s an outage and they don’t know what caused it, I’ll run a lightning study to see if there’s lightning in the area,” said Sills. “Then, for example, I’ll send out an email saying it was a negative five kilovolt bolt. That way when the field guys go out, they know what to expect.”

Sills hasn’t just been working on the reliability of current power grids, but is also working to bolster the reliability of future power sources. During the previous semester, she had been intrigued by the possibility of contributing to solar energy advancements. As part of an electric engineering course, she tested the strength and longevity of solar panels in various climates and other elements. 

Sills noted climate conditions can also impact how much technology can be added onto a solar panel to increase efficiencies or margins of error.

“There are different types of solar panels,” she said. “Some of them can rotate. So if the sun’s coming up, the panel will face the sun and then it will rotate with it. Some can also swivel, and there are some that can bend 90 degrees. If you get the whole range of motion, it’s more likely that more parts will fail.”

Her findings revealed that panels kept in temperatures between 30°F and 86°F significantly extended the lifespan of the solar panels. This information is critical for the expansion of their use across the globe. 

Her work has even garnered international attention.

Sills was invited to be part of a small research team going to Denmark over the next summer to continue her research into solar panels and their utilization. Her research team is made up of five other students from across the U.S. and is supported through funding from the National Science Foundation.

“Most of the research in this area is now over in Europe,” she said. “They have different transformer models and a whole different grid over there. We want to see if we can bring it to America and still be able to use the same functions.”

This isn’t her first accolade in this field of study.

More recently, Sills brought a statewide award back to Eagle Nation. Last fall, she participated in the Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference, hosted by Oxford College of Emory University. Out of 80 competitors from across Georgia, her research on power converters in solar panels won the “Outstanding Poster” award. Sills’ award-winning research revealed new possibilities that can assist with the reliability of power electronic converters, ensuring solar panels function efficiently under temperature and stress. 

“I was excited,” Sills said. “It was my first ever competition for research posters or anything of  that nature so I didn’t know what to expect. It was very surprising.”