Giuliani Ordered to Hand Over Luxury Items to Pay Off $150 Million Defamation Judgment
A federal judge has ruled that former Donald Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani must surrender his upscale Manhattan apartment, a collectible Mercedes-Benz, and numerous other valuable items to pay off a nearly $150 million defamation judgment owed to two women he defamed after the 2020 election.
Luxury Items to be Seized
The list of luxury valuables Giuliani will soon lose includes:
- A 1980 Mercedes-Benz previously owned by actress Lauren Bacall
- A diamond ring
- Over two dozen watches, including one belonging to Giuliani’s grandfather and another gifted by the president of France after the 9/11 terrorist attacks
- Items signed by Yankees baseball legends Joe DiMaggio and Reggie Jackson
Defamation Judgment
Giuliani repeatedly targeted Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, two former Georgia election workers, with false election fraud claims as part of his efforts to overturn Trump’s loss to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election. A federal jury in Washington, D.C., ordered Giuliani to pay the women over $148 million in punitive damages and for emotional distress and defamation.
Bankruptcy Petition Dismissed
Giuliani filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition to shield himself from sudden financial ruin, but a New York federal bankruptcy judge dismissed his case. Giuliani has appealed the defamation verdict in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, where the case is ongoing.
Immediate Turnover Ordered
Judge Lewis Liman granted the election workers’ request for an “immediate turnover” of Giuliani’s stake in his penthouse apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, which was listed for $5.7 million before Giuliani filed for bankruptcy. The fate of Giuliani’s condominium in Palm Beach, Florida, will be determined at a court hearing on October 28.
Unpaid Legal Fees
Liman also allowed the plaintiffs to pursue a debt that Giuliani says he is still owed for his work after the 2020 election, totaling about $2 million that Trump’s 2020 campaign and the Republican National Committee have failed to pay. Giuliani had asked to delay a ruling on the unpaid legal fees claim until after the November 5 election, but Liman denied the request.
Sentimental Value
While some of Giuliani’s unique items may have sentimental value, Liman wrote that “does not entitle Defendant to continued enjoyment of the assets to the detriment of the Plaintiffs to whom he owes approximately $150 million.”
Leave a Reply