Former Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani must hand over a long list of assets—including his interests in his Manhattan co-op apartment and his grandfather’s watch—in pursuit of satisfying the nearly $150 million judgment won by two ex-Georgia election workers who sued him for defamation, a federal judge ruled on Oct. 22.
Southern District of New York Judge Lewis Liman’s order set up a receivership for Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, the mother-daughter pair who successfully sued over Giuliani’s claims that they had mishandled ballots during the 2020 election. Giuliani has seven days to turn the assets over to them.
Among other things, the order grants the women ownership of Giuliani’s 1980 Mercedes-Benz Model SL500, “various items of furniture,” more watches, a diamond ring, and cash from his checking account.
“The Court finds that all of the items and interests listed … should be subject to turnover and receivership in order to ensure that the liquidation of the transferred assets is accomplished quickly and consistently by the Plaintiff’s chosen counsel, maximizing the scale of value of the unique and intangible items and therefore increasing the likelihood of satisfaction of the Plaintiff’s judgment,” Liman said.
The judge withheld ordering the transfer of Giuliani’s condo in Palm Beach, Florida, pending litigation, including over Giuliani’s claim to a homestead exemption under state law. In the meantime, Liman issued a restraining order that prevents Giuliani from attempting to sell the condo “or take any action that would diminish the value of that asset.”
Part of Liman’s decision outlines a schedule for briefing on arguments related to the condo and a hearing on Oct. 28. Three World Series rings are also the subject of pending litigation. Giuliani’s son Andrew has intervened, claiming that his father gifted the rings to him in 2018.
Liman also ordered that Giuliani turn over his grandfather’s watch, stating that “however painful the circumstances, a party cannot claim that every family heirloom should be exempt from the procedures of [New York law].”
Freeman and Moss filed for Giuliani’s assets on Aug. 30 following the dismissal of his bankruptcy case in New York.
Giuliani spokesperson Ted Goodman previously criticized the filing as a step “designed to harass and intimidate the mayor” while he’s appealing the “objectively unreasonable” judgment.
“This lawsuit has always been designed to censor and bully the mayor and to deter others from exercising their right to speak up and to speak out,” Goodman said. He contends that “the justice system has been weaponized” against Giuliani “and so many others for strictly partisan political purposes.”
The order is the latest blow to Giuliani, who gained recognition as “America’s Mayor” following his actions after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Before serving as an adviser to President Donald Trump, he was New York City’s mayor from 1994–2001 and worked in President Ronald Reagan’s Justice Department.
Since leading Trump’s legal efforts in the 2020 presidential election, Giuliani has been the subject of multiple lawsuits and criminal allegations.
In relation to his 2020 election response, he has been disbarred in both New York and the District of Columbia.
In his recent financial filings, Giuliani said he had about $94,000 cash in hand at the end of May while his company, Giuliani Communications, had about $237,000 in the bank. A main source of income for Giuliani has been a retirement account with a balance of just over $1 million in May, down from nearly $2.5 million in 2022.
Giuliani had testified that the Republican National Committee and Trump campaign owed him “about” $2 million in fees. He had resisted turning over those claims to Freeman and Moss on the grounds that the women might use them in an attempt to generate a media frenzy.
Liman rejected Giuliani’s argument and held that the women were “entitled as a matter of law to pursue any outstanding interest of the Defendants in satisfaction of their judgment, including contingent, future, and intangible interests.”
The transfer and receivership of the claim allowed Freeman and Moss to “stand in [Giuliani’s] shoes with respect to the Trump Campaign in order to effectively pursue the claim.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times