A Staten Island man has sued Rudy Giuliani over a June 2022 incident in which the grocery store worker was arrested for patting the former New York City mayor on the back unexpectedly.
Former ShopRite employee Daniel Gill is seeking $2m from Mr Giuliani, claiming the Trump confidante conspired with police, causing him to lose his job and be falsely imprisoned.
“Rudy Giuliani’s lies have caused incalculable damage to this country, but his lies about Daniel Gill should cost him about $2 million,” his attorney Ron Kuby told The New York Daily News.
“And the Staten Island police went along with it. ... They made sure that Gill spent at least a night in jail. The cops should be careful who they do favours for while wearing body cameras.”
Mr Gill was arrested and held in jail for more than a day after he touched Mr Giuliani on the back with an open hand and said, “What’s up, scumbag?” according to surveillance footage.
After the encounter, Mr Giuliani claimed he was hit so hard it felt like being shot or hit in the back with a boulder.
Mr Gill was initially charged with assaulting an elderly person, though prosecutors later dropped the case.
New York City mayor Eric Adams criticised Mr Giuliani following the incident.
“Someone needs to remind former mayor Giuliani that falsely reporting a crime is a crime,” Mr Adams said last June.
“When you look at the video, the guy basically walked by and patted him on the back,” he added. “It was clear that he was not punched in the head. It was clear that it didn’t feel like a bullet. It was clear that he wasn’t about to fall to the ground.”
A spokesperson for Mr Giuliani told the Daily News the suit from Mr Gill was “meritless”
Earlier this week, Giuliani was sued by former employee Noelle Dunphy for $10m, alleging the former New York mayor stole her wages and sexually assaulted her while they worked together.
Ms Dunphy alleges she was forced to give Mr Giuliani oral sex while he was on the phone with high-profile figures like Donald Trump.
Ted Goodman, a spokesperson and adviser to Mr Giuliani, told The Independent in an email that the former New York mayor “unequivocally denies the allegations” in the lawsuit.
“Mayor Rudy Giuliani unequivocally denies the allegations raised by Ms Dunphy,” he said.
“Mayor Giuliani’s lifetime of public service speaks for itself and he will pursue all available remedies and counterclaims.”
