A federal judge in New York has issued an order demanding that Rudy Giuliani surrender his luxurious New York City apartment and a significant portion of his valuable assets to the two Georgia election workers he defamed.
In a decision released Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman ordered Giuliani, a longtime ally and former lawyer for former President Donald Trump, to transfer personal property “including cash accounts, jewelry, and valuables, a legal claim for unpaid attorneys’ fees, and his interest in his Madison Avenue co-op apartment to a receivership” within seven days.
In August, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss initiated legal proceedings to seize Giuliani’s assets, with the aim of recouping the $146 million in damages they received last year from a judge who found Giuliani guilty of persistently defaming them. Giuliani falsely accused the two of election fraud following the 2020 presidential election.
In order to expedite the liquidation of Giuliani’s assets and maximize the sale value of the unique and intangible items, the judge granted the mother and daughter permission to use a receiver.
Among the items to be turned over are Giuliani’s $5.7 million apartment, his collection of luxury watches, including watches given to him by his grandfather and the French president, a signed Joe DiMaggio jersey, a signed Reggie Jackson picture, and a 1980 Mercedes-Benz previously owned by actor Lauren Bacall.
The ruling excludes certain goods, including his three New York Yankees World Series rings, which his son, Andrew Giuliani, asserts were gifts. The judge stated that the court would decide Andrew Giuliani’s claim, along with Freeman and Moss’ claim to Giuliani’s Florida apartment unit, later.
Liman notes an outstanding legal charge of $2 million, which Giuliani claims the Trump campaign owes him for his efforts to reverse the 2020 election results.
Following Trump’s loss in Georgia, Giuliani began frequently accusing Freeman and Moss of electoral fraud. He also distributed a small, extensively manipulated clip of security video, which he alleged a Georgia legislative committee showed them passing USB devices “like vials of heroin or cocaine” during ballot counting operations. Moss claimed the “USB drive” was actually a ginger mint.
State election officials at the time stated that the couple had done nothing unlawful, and an inquiry by Georgia’s State Election Board ruled that the charges were “unsubstantiated and found to have no merit.”
Giuliani never backed down from the allegations, which the women claimed resulted in harassment and countless racist and violent death threats, leading them to abandon their jobs. A judge ruled Giuliani liable for defamation after he persistently refused to disclose the required evidence to Freeman and Moss.
The pair received a large sum of money from a jury in December, but Giuliani’s bankruptcy filing stalled their efforts to collect for months. In August, a bankruptcy judge dismissed Giuliani’s case, citing his inability to turn over information regarding his businesses as well as his submission of incomplete or erroneous personal expenditure information.
Aaron Nathan, an attorney for Freeman and Moss at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, hailed the judge’s decision on Tuesday.
Nathan expressed his pride that his clients will finally start receiving some of the compensation they deserve for Giuliani’s actions. The “outcome should send a powerful message that there is a price to pay for those who choose to intentionally spread disinformation.”
A spokesperson for Giuliani did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Giuliani’s efforts on Trump’s behalf have also resulted in the revocation of his New York and Washington, D.C., law licenses, as well as criminal charges in Arizona and Georgia. He has pleaded not guilty on both counts.
