Hunter Biden dropping laptop lawsuit against Giuliani

Nick Robertson

14 June 2024 at 10:28 am·2-min read

Hunter Biden’s attorneys moved to dismiss a lawsuit against Rudy Giuliani and his former lawyer Thursday, dropping claims that the pair invaded the president’s son’s privacy by distributing private information found on a laptop.

Biden had accused Giuliani and Robert Costello of being “primarily responsible” for the “total annihilation” of his digital privacy.

The suit sought $75,000 in damages. Attorneys for all three parties signed the dismissal, which stipulates that each must pay their own legal fees. It must be approved by a judge before being finalized.

Giuliani spokesperson Ted Goodman said the dismissal is a victory for the former New York City mayor, saying Biden’s claims have now “been withdrawn and proven to be entirely false.”

“This should serve as a reminder to people that — despite the unrelenting attacks by partisan Democrats and their allies in the permanent Washington political class — Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s integrity and commitment to the truth is unwavering,” he said in a statement.

The dismissal comes the same week Biden was convicted of three felony counts related to illegally purchasing a firearm. He could face up to 25 years in prison for the charges, though a sentence that long is unlikely for a first-time offender.

It also comes as Giuliani continues with bankruptcy proceedings, faced with mounting legal bills related to a defamation case from a pair of Georgia election workers and criminal charges that he attempted to prevent the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election.

The laptop at the center of the suit contained some of Biden’s personal information, which was seized on by Republicans as a campaign issue after it was disseminated to the public.

A computer repair shop owner said Biden dropped the laptop off at his store in April 2019 and never returned to pick it up. The owner later admitted in his 2022 book to reviewing private and sensitive material from the laptop before contacting Republicans to review and share the material.

Updated at 1:57 p.m.

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