Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been ordered by a US judge to turn over his apartment, jewelry, and other valuable possessions to two election workers whom he defamed, Al Jazeera reports.
The order comes as a result of a defamation lawsuit filed by Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, who were falsely accused by Giuliani of rigging the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
US District Judge Lewis Liman, sitting in Manhattan, issued the order on Tuesday, demanding the transfer of assets within the next seven days to satisfy the multi-million dollar damages owed to the election workers. Last year, a federal jury found Giuliani liable for defamation and ordered him to pay a combined $148 million to Freeman and Moss.
Giuliani, who served as President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, had spread baseless claims of voter fraud following Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election. His accusations targeted Freeman and Moss, leading to harassment and death threats against them. The 80-year-old Republican, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2008, has since filed for bankruptcy, which was dismissed, paving the way for Freeman and Moss to pursue asset recovery.
The judge’s order includes the transfer of Giuliani’s New York apartment, a 1980 Mercedes-Benz once owned by actress Lauren Bacall, numerous watches, and a portion of his sports memorabilia. These items will be placed under the control of the election workers. While the judge did not immediately order the handover of Giuliani’s New York Yankees World Series rings or his Florida apartment, he did authorize Freeman and Moss to pursue almost $2 million in unpaid legal fees Giuliani claims he is owed by the Trump campaign.
The ruling comes just two weeks before the 2024 presidential election, during which Trump and his allies have continued to peddle false claims about the 2020 election’s legitimacy. Trump has even hinted at potentially rejecting the results of the upcoming election.
Giuliani has since been disbarred in New York and faces ongoing legal cases in Arizona and Georgia related to his actions. He has maintained his innocence. Despite the legal setbacks, many Republicans continue to believe the 2020 election was fraudulent, casting a shadow over the upcoming election. Republican candidates, including Trump, have called for a massive voter turnout, claiming it will make the results “too big to rig.”
