Dominion sues Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani for $1.7 billion

Donald Trump's former lawyer Rudy Giuliani has been sued for $1.7 billion for his role in promoting false claims of election fraud.

Donald Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani has been sued for $US1.3 billion ($A1.7 billion) for his role in promoting false claims of election fraud.

Dominion Voting Systems filed a defamation lawsuit on Monday against the former president’s personal lawyer and one-time New York City mayor.

The 107-page complaint and demand for a jury trial claimed Mr Giuliani and his allies manufactured and disseminated the “Big Lie”, which “deceived millions of people into thinking that Dominion had stolen their votes and fixed the election.”

It comes as the article of impeachment against the former US president is set to be sent to the Senate today, setting up an impeachment trial next month.

In the lawsuit filed at the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the election technology supplier said this “viral disinformation campaign” had damaged its reputation and laid the groundwork for the riots at the US Capitol.

Former president Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani is facing a defamation lawsuit. Picture: Mandel Ngan / AFP

It cited more than 50 statements by Mr Giuliani on his podcast, at hearings and in the media, in which Dominion said he pushed the “demonstrably false” allegations in part for financial gain.

Claims that the presidential election was rigged, propagated by Mr Trump and believed wholeheartedly by his supporters, have been rejected by courts in several states.

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Mr Giuliani falsely claimed Dominion’s machines switched thousands of votes from Mr Trump to Joe Biden. He claimed 6000 votes were switched in Antrim County, Michigan, even though state officials denied it and a hand count confirmed the voting machine figures.

Mr Giuliani lashed out at the defamation lawsuit on Monday, branding it as an “act of intimidation.

“Dominion’s defamation lawsuit for $1.3 billion will allow me to investigate their history, finances, and practices fully and completely,” he said in a statement to media.

“The amount being asked for is, quite obviously, intended to frighten people of faint heart. It is another act of intimidation by the hate-filled left-wing to wipe out and censor the exercise of free speech, as well as the ability of lawyers to defend their clients vigorously.

“As such, we will investigate a countersuit against them for violating these constitutional rights.”

New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) earlier this month launched an inquiry into removing Mr Trump’s lawyer from its ranks.

NYSBA said in a statement while they believe the violent uprising at the Capitol on January 6 was the fault of Mr Trump, the President “did not act alone” and was aided by Mr Giuliani, who called for “trial by combat” at a rally.

Mr Giuliani was instrumental in spreading former US President Donald Trump’s claims of election fraud. Picture: Alex Edelman / AFP

The legal association said it had received “hundreds” of complaints about Mr Giuliani and his attempts to overturn the election in recent months.

A group of prominent lawyers have also asked New York’s judiciary to suspend Mr Giuliani’s law licence. Lawyers Defending American Democracy called for an investigation of the Trump lawyer, saying the complaint was “about law, not politics”, in a letter signed by more than 50 lawyers.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in a statement released after the 2020 vote that there was no evidence that voting machines were compromised and that the election was “the most secure in American history.”

Dominion also filed a $US1.3 billion defamation lawsuit last month against lawyer Sidney Powell last month, who repeated the accusations in lawsuits. It has sent retraction letters to more than 150 individuals and businesses, including media outlets Fox News and Newsmax.

Mr Giuliani told The Washington Post in a text message that the case would give him an opportunity to prove his allegations.