Giuliani Ordered to Surrender Luxury Assets to Defamation Victims
Former Donald Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani is facing significant financial consequences after a federal judge ruled that he must relinquish his luxury Manhattan apartment, a collectible Mercedes-Benz, and various high-value items due to a nearly $150 million judgment owed to two women he defamed following the 2020 election.
A Loss of Luxury Valuables
The court’s decision, issued on Tuesday, dictates that Giuliani will have to part with several prized possessions, including memorabilia signed by Yankees legends Joe DiMaggio and Reggie Jackson, a diamond ring, and over two dozen luxury watches. Among these items are several with sentimental value, such as a 1980 Mercedes previously owned by actress Lauren Bacall and a watch gifted to Giuliani by the French president after the September 11 attacks when he served as New York City’s mayor.
Giuliani has been ordered to hand over these assets to a receivership controlled by former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss within seven days, as directed by Manhattan federal Judge Lewis Liman
Defamation Claims and Legal Battles
The ruling comes in the wake of Giuliani’s defamatory statements about Freeman and Moss, whom he falsely accused of election fraud in his attempts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. The two women subsequently filed a defamation lawsuit, resulting in a federal jury in Washington, D.C., awarding them over $148 million in damages for emotional distress and defamation in December.
Despite filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to protect himself from financial ruin, Giuliani’s case was dismissed by a New York federal bankruptcy judge. He has since appealed the defamation verdict in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Future Proceedings
As of now, Giuliani has not paid any of the substantial judgment against him and has not secured a court stay to delay the payment. Judge Liman emphasized the urgency of the plaintiffs’ request for an “immediate turnover” of Giuliani’s stake in his upscale penthouse located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Prior to his bankruptcy filing, Giuliani had listed the apartment for sale at $5.7 million.
The fate of Giuliani’s Palm Beach, Florida, condominium remains uncertain, pending a court hearing scheduled for October 28. Additionally, Judge Liman has permitted Freeman and Moss to pursue claims regarding approximately $2 million that Giuliani asserts he is owed for his legal work after the 2020 election, which has not been paid by Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee. Giuliani sought to postpone any decisions on these unpaid legal fees until after the upcoming November 5 election, citing concerns of potential political exploitation, but Judge Liman denied that request.
