A federal judge in New York has ordered former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to turn over his luxury Manhattan apartment and much of his valuables to two Georgia election officials he vilified.
In a ruling released Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Louis Lehman ordered Giuliani, a longtime ally and ex-attorney of former President Donald Trump, to “pay for his cash accounts, jewelry, valuables, and unpaid legal fees.” legal claims, and transfer his interest in the Madison Avenue Cooperative Apartments to a trustee within seven days.”
Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shay” Moss were awarded $146 million in damages last year after a judge found Giuliani liable for repeatedly defaming them. filed a lawsuit to foreclose Mr. Giuliani’s assets in August to begin collecting money. Giuliani falsely accused the two men of election fraud after the 2020 presidential election.
The judge ordered the mother and daughter “to ensure that the liquidation of the transferred assets is completed quickly” and at the same time “to maximize the sale value of the unique and intangible items and thereby increase the sale price.” granted the right to use the receiver to sell Giuliani’s assets. It is likely that the plaintiff’s judgment will be satisfied. ”
Among the properties scheduled to be delivered is Giuliani’s apartment, valued at $5.7 million. His collection of luxury watches includes watches given to him by his grandfather and the President of France. Joe DiMaggio autographed jersey. Autographed photo of Reggie Jackson. and a 1980 Mercedes-Benz previously owned by actor Lauren Bacall.
Among the items not included in the ruling are three New York Yankees World Series rings because his son, Andrew Giuliani, claims the rings were given to him as a gift by his father. The judge said Andrew Giuliani’s claims, as well as Freeman and Moss’s claims to Giuliani’s Florida condominium, will be decided in the future.
The unpaid legal fees Lehman is referring to are the $2 million that Giuliani claims the Trump campaign owes him for efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
It was also during this period that Mr. Giuliani began repeatedly accusing Mr. Freeman and Mr. Moss of election fraud following President Trump’s loss in Georgia. He also distributed to a Georgia legislative committee a clip of a concise, heavily edited security video showing him handing out USB drives “like vials of heroin or cocaine” during vote counting. Mr Moss said the “USB drive” was actually a ginger mint.
State election officials at the time said the two had done nothing wrong, and a Georgia State Election Commission investigation found the allegations were “unfounded and without basis.” I decided.
Mr. Giuliani still did not retract the claim, but the women claimed it led to harassment and numerous racist and violent death threats, ultimately forcing them to leave their jobs. . The judge found Mr. Giuliani liable for defaming Mr. Freeman and Mr. Moss after he repeatedly ignored court orders to turn over necessary evidence.
A jury awarded the pair a large award in December, but efforts to collect it were hampered for months after Mr. Giuliani filed for bankruptcy protection. A bankruptcy judge dismissed Mr. Giuliani’s suit in August because he had failed to provide information about his business and provided incomplete or inaccurate information about his personal expenses.
Freeman and Moss’ lawyer, Aaron Nathan of Willkie Farr & Gallagher, praised the judge’s decision Tuesday.
“We are proud that our clients will finally begin receiving some of the compensation they are entitled to for Mr. Giuliani’s actions,” Nathan said. It should send a strong message that there are costs that cannot be avoided.” Deliberately spreading false information. ”
Representatives for Mr. Giuliani did not respond to requests for comment.
Mr. Giuliani’s efforts on behalf of Mr. Trump have resulted in his law licenses being revoked in New York and Washington, D.C., and criminal charges in Arizona and Georgia. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
