A settlement was achieved on Thursday between Rudy Giuliani and two former election workers from Georgia regarding the ownership of his Florida condo and three World Series rings. This arrangement came about as a response to a significant $148 million defamation judgment against Giuliani. The agreement eliminated the necessity for a trial, which was scheduled to start that morning in a federal court located in Manhattan, where Giuliani was expected to testify as the primary witness, though he failed to appear.
The two Georgia election workers had previously secured a judgment against Giuliani. The specifics of the settlement have not been publicly disclosed. Giuliani, who is 80 years old, was slated to provide testimony in front of the same judge who last week found him in contempt due to his failure to provide necessary information regarding his assets to the lawyers representing the women. In response to this noncompliance, Judge Lewis J. Liman restricted Giuliani from presenting certain evidence.
Giuliani, who previously acted as a personal attorney for former President Donald Trump during his initial term, was also found in contempt in Washington, D.C. last week. The judge in that case concluded that Giuliani continued to make defamatory statements about the election workers by perpetuating unfounded accusations that they engaged in corrupt practices while counting votes during the 2020 presidential election.
While the trial was anticipated, Giuliani took the opportunity to share a video on social media featuring a dog named Vinny at Trump’s estate in Palm Beach, Florida. The post noted that Vinny enjoys “hanging out at Mar-a-Lago” but is “ready to spend a lot more time in Washington, D.C.” supporting Trump. The exact timing of when the video was filmed remains uncertain.
The focus of the impending trial was not to reexamine the defamation claims or to discuss the amount of the judgment, as both have already been determined. Instead, it aimed to assess whether Giuliani would be permitted to retain certain valuable properties rather than relinquishing them.
Giuliani’s condo in Palm Beach was among the assets in question. He claimed to have established his residency there in January 2024, while the election workers’ legal representatives contended that he continued to operate out of his New York apartment until he surrendered it in the fall as part of the judgment. Additionally, the ownership of three World Series rings, supposedly gifted to his son Andrew in 2018, was also part of the contentious assets.
During a recent court hearing, Giuliani expressed that he is “not impoverished,” yet he lacks access to most of his remaining belongings. He remarked, “Everything I have is tied up. I don’t have a car. I don’t have a credit card. I don’t have cash. I can’t get to bank accounts that truly would be mine because they have put … stop orders on, for example, my Social Security account, which they have no right to do.”
The election workers’ attorneys assert that Giuliani classified the Manhattan apartment as his principal residence and listed the rings as part of his property in a bankruptcy claim submitted in December 2023, a claim that was dismissed six months later. The presiding judge accused Giuliani of exhibiting “uncooperative conduct,” engaging in self-dealing, and lacking transparency.
In a deposition last month, Giuliani claimed that the late New York Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner, gifted him the rings in 2002, although he insisted that he had paid for them and declared they were intended for Andrew. He indicated that he promptly gave one ring to Andrew and retained three for safekeeping, estimating their combined value at $27,000.
Attorneys representing the election workers argue that Giuliani, a long-time Yankees supporter who occasionally wore the rings, did not report them as a gift to his son in his tax filings, despite being meticulous with documenting gifts. They further claimed that Andrew never secured insurance for the rings nor included them in his tax records.
Giuliani’s total assets are not projected to exceed $10 million, with the Palm Beach condominium valued at over $3 million. He has already surrendered a New York apartment valued at around $5 million, along with a 1980 Mercedes formerly owned by actress Lauren Bacall, several luxury watches, and other possessions.
Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, the election workers, successfully obtained a defamation judgment, stating that Giuliani’s falsehoods regarding the stolen 2020 presidential election led to serious threats against their lives, inducing significant fear for their safety.
