NEW YORK — A legal proceeding aimed at determining whether Rudy Giuliani should forfeit his Florida condominium and three World Series rings due to a $148 million defamation judgment against him has been postponed. The delay was announced on Thursday after Giuliani failed to appear in court for his testimony.
The trial, set for Thursday morning in a Manhattan federal court, was intended to clarify whether Giuliani must relinquish these assets to two former election workers from Georgia who were awarded the judgment. Consequently, the judge rescheduled the proceedings to Tuesday.
The lawyers involved in the case have refrained from making any statements to the media. Giuliani, aged 80, was due to testify before the same judge who recently held him in contempt for not providing complete details on certain assets requested by the attorneys representing the plaintiffs. As a result of this contempt ruling, Judge Lewis J. Liman barred Giuliani from submitting specific evidence during the trial.
Having previously served as personal attorney to then-President Donald Trump, Giuliani also faced contempt charges in Washington, D.C., where a judge determined that he continued to defame the election workers by perpetuating false claims about their conduct during the 2020 election.
While awaiting the trial, Giuliani shared a video on social media featuring a dog named Vinny, which he claimed enjoyed spending time at Trump’s estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and was eager to support him in Washington, D.C. The specific timing of the video’s recording remains unclear.
The upcoming trial will not revisit the findings that Giuliani defamed the election workers or the monetary judgment against him. Instead, it will solely focus on whether he is permitted to retain ownership of specific high-value assets.
One of these assets is his Palm Beach condominium, which he may retain if he can demonstrate it is his primary residence. Giuliani argues he established residency there in January 2024; however, the election workers’ lawyers claim he still operated as if his New York apartment was his main residence until he surrendered it as part of the judgment settlement in the fall.
Additionally, the ownership of the three World Series rings is in question. Giuliani asserts that these rings, which he claims to have given to his son, Andrew, in 2018, should not be forfeited.
During a recent court hearing, Giuliani maintained that he is “not impoverished” but is unable to access most of his assets, stating, “Everything I have is tied up. I don’t have a car. I don’t have a credit card. I don’t have cash.” He further revealed difficulties accessing his bank accounts, including one tied to his Social Security, which he believes has been unjustly frozen.
The election workers’ attorneys allege that Giuliani classified the Manhattan apartment as his residence and claimed the rings as his property during his bankruptcy filing in December 2023. A judge dismissed the bankruptcy case six months later, citing Giuliani’s lack of cooperation and transparency.
In a deposition last month, Giuliani recalled that George Steinbrenner, the deceased owner of the New York Yankees, gave him the rings in 2002, yet insisted that he paid for them, indicating to Steinbrenner that they were intended for Andrew. He claimed he immediately gave one to his son while keeping three others in safekeeping, estimating their total value at $27,000.
Attorneys representing Freeman and Moss argue that Giuliani, a long-time Yankees fan who occasionally wore the rings, never declared them as a gift to his son on his tax returns, despite being diligent in declaring other gifts. They also noted that Andrew had not insured the rings or listed them on his tax documents.
Giuliani’s total estimated assets are believed to be just over $10 million. His Palm Beach property alone is estimated to be worth more than $3 million. Previously, he surrendered a New York apartment valued at roughly $5 million, a vintage 1980 Mercedes once owned by actress Lauren Bacall, a number of luxury watches, and various assets.
Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, secured their defamation judgment after asserting that Giuliani’s unfounded allegations regarding the 2020 presidential election led to severe threats against their lives, leaving them in fear for their safety.
