A representative from a moving company, along with attorneys, were anticipated to gain access to Rudy Giuliani’s Manhattan residence on Thursday. This follows the former mayor of New York City’s inability to hand over personal items to two former Georgia election officials, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, who obtained a defamation verdict against him totaling $148 million.
Throughout the week, both parties exchanged serious allegations as the deadline for Giuliani to turn in the specified items slipped by Tuesday, resulting in no transfer of belongings.
Last week, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman instructed Giuliani to surrender several of his valuable possessions to Freeman and Moss. These included his opulent $5 million apartment in the Upper East Side, a classic 1980 Mercedes previously owned by the actress Lauren Bacall, as well as various other items such as his television, a jersey signed by Yankees great Joe DiMaggio, and 26 luxury watches.
According to a court file submitted late Wednesday by Aaron Nathan, an attorney for Freeman and Moss, representatives from the moving company and legal team were expected to assess Giuliani’s apartment to catalog the property available and estimate the expenses related to moving the identified items as per Judge Liman’s directive.
Nathan mentioned that he had communicated with Giuliani’s legal team, but they seemed unprepared to relinquish any assets and could not even respond to straightforward inquiries about item locations.
In a court submission late Tuesday, Giuliani’s attorney, Kenneth Caruso, asserted that his client was willing to hand over his possessions but claimed that Freeman and Moss’s legal representatives had failed to provide adequate guidance on how to execute the transfer.
When asked for comments, Nathan chose to remain silent on Thursday, while attempts to contact Giuliani’s representation were made but yielded no response.
Judge Liman ordered both parties to deliver a status update on property exchanges by Monday and indicated he would convene a status conference on November 7 should the objects remain unchanged.
On another note, Giuliani’s legal defense fund sent out donation requests on Thursday as he battles what he describes as “Deep State plans to utterly ruin me.” In the email, he lamented, “They want my home, my belongings, even all of the nostalgic keepsakes that I’ve collected throughout my 80 years of life.”
Giuliani’s legal representatives previously contended that Freeman and Moss shouldn’t be permitted to acquire and liquidate his possessions while his appeal against the substantial judgment remains unresolved. However, Liman rejected this plea last week and enforced the Tuesday timeline. Giuliani’s appeal is presently under consideration by a federal appeals court in Washington.
A spokesperson for Giuliani, Ted Goodman, stated recently that “Mayor Giuliani is being unfairly punished by partisan, political activists who are trying to make an example out of him.”
Additional legal disputes revolve around whether Giuliani is obligated to surrender his $3 million condominium in Palm Beach, Florida—which he claims as his primary dwelling—and several World Series rings from his tenure as mayor of New York City.
Giuliani, supporting Donald Trump’s unfounded assertions regarding the 2020 presidential election being compromised, made false claims about Freeman and Moss engaging in ballot manipulation, alleging they covertly introduced ballots in suitcases, counted them multiple times, and interfered with voting machines.
As a result of these defamatory claims, Freeman and Moss launched a lawsuit, contending the untrue allegations subjected them to death threats and severe trepidation for their safety. A jury in Washington awarded them a staggering $148 million in compensation last year.
