22 October 2024, Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and Donald Trump’s personal attorney, has been ordered to relinquish his Upper East Side apartment as part of efforts by two Georgia election workers to collect on a $148 million defamation judgment. The ruling marks yet another severe legal blow for Giuliani, who in recent years has grappled with a slew of financial and legal woes.
The two workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, sued Giuliani over false accusations of election fraud during the 2020 presidential election. Accusations proliferated by Giuliani amid Trump’s efforts to challenge the election outcome resulted in harassment and threats against both women. Eventually, a federal judge ruled in their favor, with the judge awarding a hefty financial settlement to compensate for damages.
After Giuliani made no efforts to pay, Freeman and Moss motioned to take his assets, including his New York apartment and other property. The two also tried to take over Giuliani’s Palm Beach condo in Florida, filing separately that he tried to mischaracterize it as his primary residence so that it would be exempt from creditors under Florida’s homestead exemption laws.
The court’s order is the culmination of a string of legal challenges Giuliani has faced over the past year, including several lawsuits and other court defeats, including his disbarment in New York and his indictment in Arizona in the issue concerning the investigation into the bogus electors. The latest ruling was bashed by Giuliani’s spokesman, Ted Goodman, who said it reflects the “weaponization” of the legal system against the former mayor. He also said that Giuliani’s legal team is going to appeal the defamation verdict on the grounds that the $148 million judgment is excessive and politically motivated.
These legal battles have just gotten a little more financial, and Giuliani barely kept the facade of his assets intact. This comes after his recent bankruptcy filing collapse, leaving Freeman and Moss free to pursue enforcement actions.
This judgment in this case indicates how grave the consequences of defamation can be, especially when the accusations are false and lead to actual harm. The judgment against Giuliani includes preparations for an appeal, while the fight over his assets represents another chapter in the continuing fall-out of the contentious 2020 election.
