By Chris Cameron
Earlier this week, a federal judge mandated Rudy Giuliani to surrender the majority of his assets and cash to a receivership overseen by two Georgia election workers he slandered following the most recent presidential election.
Giuliani, aged 80, has a week to complete the transfer, which encompasses his New York apartment and his classic Mercedes-Benz that was previously owned by actress Lauren Bacall. The judge also instructed him to relinquish specific furniture items, his television set, sports memorabilia, jewelry, and 26 watches, including one that Giuliani claimed was a gift from his grandfather.
“Although the watch may hold personal significance for the defendant, it does not possess any special status under the law,” U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman wrote in the Tuesday order. Currently, Giuliani’s son, Andrew, is permitted to keep his father’s Yankee World Series rings while attorneys investigate whether these were genuinely passed down as a gift from father to son, as stated by Andrew Giuliani to the court.
After the transfers are completed, the two election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, will be able to start liquidating the assets and allocating the funds towards the over $148 million that a federal jury ruled he owes them. Liman also indicated that Freeman and Moss could pursue legal action against former President Donald Trump for the $2 million he owes Giuliani for unpaid legal fees.
Freeman and Moss have spent nearly a year awaiting payment for the damage to their reputations inflicted by Giuliani, a former personal attorney for Trump and ex-mayor of New York. Giuliani has declared approximately $10 million in assets.
Following the 2020 election, Giuliani propagated unfounded claims that the women were attempting to usurp the election from Trump. These allegations swiftly spread on social platforms and incited violent threats against the women and their families.
“Our clients will finally start to see some of the compensation they rightfully deserve for Giuliani’s misconduct,” said their attorney, Aaron Nathan from Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
In a statement released Tuesday evening, Giuliani’s legal representatives asserted that if he successfully appeals the $148 million ruling, Freeman and Moss would be required to return the assets.
“Stay tuned,” attorneys Kenneth Caruso and David Labkowski wrote in an email. “If the judgment is overturned in the Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., these plaintiffs will need to restore all this property to Mr. Giuliani.”
However, unless Giuliani’s appeal successfully results in a reduction of the judgment to below $10 million, it is improbable that Freeman and Moss would need to return anything.
The women initiated a defamation lawsuit against Giuliani in December 2021. Throughout the subsequent two years, Giuliani consistently declined to comply with discovery requests regarding his financials and business operations. His lack of cooperation led Judge Beryl A. Howell, who presided over the case, to rule that he was responsible for defaming the two women. A federal jury in Washington concluded that he owed them $148 million.
This judgment compelled Giuliani to declare bankruptcy last December. However, his bankruptcy case was dismissed eight months later due to his failure to adhere to fundamental reporting requirements.
“Our clients have had extensive encounters with Mr. Giuliani,” Nathan remarked during a hearing on September 27.
Should Giuliani fail to heed Liman’s order within the seven-day period, he might face contempt of court charges, which could lead to financial penalties or even incarceration.
The order pertains to around $6.5 million in assets, not including the value of his condominium in Palm Beach, Florida.
Giuliani is scheduled for a trial in January in Manhattan to determine if he can assert that the Florida condo is his primary residence and thus not subject to seizure by creditors under Florida law. Nonetheless, lawyers for Freeman and Moss argue that this does not sufficiently establish primary residency according to Florida regulations. Liman, appointed by Trump, affirmed that Giuliani is prohibited from taking any actions that might decrease the value of the Palm Beach condo in the meantime.
If the case proceeds to trial, it would place Giuliani in the position of defendant in a district he once supervised as a U.S. attorney during the 1980s.
Since the 2020 election, Giuliani has lost his licenses to practice law in both New York and Washington, D.C. Additionally, he is facing criminal cases in Arizona and Georgia stemming from his attempts to maintain Trump in power.
