Rudy Giuliani ordered to hand over penthouse to defamed Georgia election workers
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Rudy Giuliani on Sept. 11 in New York City. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Rudy Giuliani, ex-lawyer to former President Trump, was ordered by a federal judge Tuesday to hand over personal property, including a Manhattan penthouse, to two Georgia election workers he defamed.
The latest: Giuliani's spokesperson told Axios Wednesday that personal gifts, including from Giuliani's childhood hero Joe DiMaggio and from the first soldiers who entered Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks are being taken from him, as is his only vehicle.
- "They've restricted his access to his personal bank accounts and his credit cards, and they've blocked him from his business accounts," Ted Goodman said in an emailed statement.
The big picture: The former New York City mayor, who has been hit with a slew of legal and disciplinary actions related to his role in the alleged scheme to undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election, was ordered last year to pay $148 million in damages to Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.
- The two Fulton County, Georgia, election workers, who are mother and daughter, have been seeking their defamation judgment for months.
Zoom in: Judge Lewis Liman of the federal court in Manhattan said in the order that Giuliani must turn over assets, including cash accounts, jewelry, watches, valuables, a signed DiMaggio shirt and a legal claim for unpaid attorneys' fees, within seven days to a receivership the two women will control.
- Giuliani is required to transfer his interest in his Madison Avenue co-op apartment so the women can sell it.
- They will also be allowed to pursue $2 million in legal fees that Giuliani has said the Trump campaign owes him, the judge ruled.
- The judge didn't make a decision yet on whether Giuliani will be allowed to keep a Palm Beach, Florida, condominium and World Series rings that his son claims his father gave him.
What they're saying: "We are proud that our clients will finally begin to receive some of the compensation to which they are entitled for Giuliani's actions," Aaron Nathan, a lawyer for Freeman and Moss, said in a statement to media.
- "This outcome should send a powerful message that there is a price to pay for those who choose to intentionally spread disinformation," he added.
The other side: Goodman told Axios that Giuliani "is being unfairly punished by partisan, political activists who are trying to make an example out of him."
Catch up quick: Freeman and Moss sued Giuliani in December 2021, accusing him of engaging in a smear campaign by repeatedly claiming they helped change the results in Georgia so that President Biden would win.
- Giuliani shared a video on social media of Freeman and Moss processing ballots in Atlanta on Nov. 3, 2020, alleging they were processing fake ballots.
- In August 2023, a judge ruled Giuliani was liable for defamation, civil conspiracy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
- A jury ordered Giuliani in December 2023 to pay damages to the women.
- He sought bankruptcy protection but a federal judge in New York dismissed the case in July.
Go deeper: Rudy Giuliani formally disbarred in D.C.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from Rudy Giuliani's spokesperson Ted Goodman.
