Rudy Giuliani, or at least his son Andrew, will have three World Series rings. For now.
U.S. District Judge Louis Lehman on Tuesday awarded a $145 million civil judgment against two Georgia election officials for defaming them by falsely stating that they stuffed ballots after the 2020 election. To resolve the issue, Giuliani was ordered to hand over his assets.
The belongings in question include a luxury apartment on New York’s Madison Avenue and a $2 million claim for legal fees against former President Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee.
Lehman ruled that seizing the property would make it easier for campaign workers Ruby Freeman and Shay Moss to sell it. Mr. Giuliani had asked that the collection of legal fees from Mr. Trump be delayed until Nov. 6 to avoid “inaccurate” claims that would cause a “media frenzy” that would affect the election. Mr. Lehman scoffed at this suggestion.
“The deep irony expressed in defendant’s stated concerns is not lost on the court,” Lehman wrote. “By its own admission, Defendant defamed Plaintiff by perpetuating falsehoods about Plaintiff.”
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Lehman said ownership of the former New York City mayor’s World Series ring will be determined separately after his son Andrew Giuliani claimed he was given the ring in 2018.
Similarly, the situation at Mr. Giuliani’s mansion in West Palm Beach, Florida, will be the subject of an Oct. 28 hearing.
But other belongings Giuliani must turn over include Yankees memorabilia such as a photo of Reggie Jackson and an autographed Joe DiMaggio jersey, as well as a 1980 model previously owned by Lauren Bacall. Also included are jewelry and luxury watches from Mercedes, Bulova and Rolex.
A spokesperson for Mr. Giuliani did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Giuliani’s attacks on Mr. Freeman and Mr. Moss came as the Trump campaign was working to overturn Mr. Biden’s victory in six swing states. Giuliani faces criminal charges of election fraud, but maintains his innocence.
The women’s lawsuit alleges that Mr. Giuliani accused election workers of removing observers during vote-counting operations “under false pretenses,” bringing in “suitcases” of illegal ballots and repeating the same ballots multiple times. They accused him of making tabulations and smuggling flash drives.
In a Dec. 10, 2020, meeting with Georgia state lawmakers, Giuliani said it was clear that Freeman and Moss were “surreptitiously walking around with USB ports as if they were vials of heroin or cocaine.” said.
However, Freeman and Moss testified in a US House of Representatives hearing that they were passing out ginger mints.
To date, Mr. Giuliani has paid nothing on the civil judgment starting in December 2023, which will increase at a 5% annual interest rate, Lehman wrote.
