Georgia Election Workers Seek Control Of Giuliani's Assets After Defamation Suit
Two Georgia election workers who won a $146 million defamation judgement against Rudy Giuliani have asked a federal judge to grant them control over the former NYC Mayor's assets.
In a Friday filing in the Southern District of New York, mother and daughter Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss asked for control of Giuliani's Florida condo, New York apartment, and various other assets - including his Mercedes SL500 and numerous watches.
"Now that Mr. Giuliani’s bankruptcy case has been dismissed, Plaintiffs are finally in a position to receive a measure of compensation by enforcing their judgment," reads the filing.
"In this motion, Plaintiffs seek two remedies to which they are entitled under New York law: an order requiring Mr. Giuliani to turn over personal property in his possession in satisfaction of the judgment, and an order appointing Plaintiffs as receivers with the power to take possession of, and sell, both real and personal property that Mr. Giuliani does not turn over."
In addition to the above, the mother-daughter pair are demanding sports memorabilia (a signed Yankee Stadium picture, Joe DiMaggio shirt, and Reggie Jackson's picture), three Yankee World Series Rings, and another diamond ring. In total, the two women are looking to collect around $10 million in assets - a fraction of what a Washington jury awarded him.
As the Epoch Times notes further, Giuliani accused the women of mishandling ballots after a video clip surfaced of them pulling ballots out of large containers from under the tables after observers had gone. An investigation by the Georgia Elections Board cleared Freeman and Moss of wrongdoing, but mother and daughter said the damage had been done.
Prior Legal Battles
Giuliani spokesperson Ted Goodman criticized the filing as a step “designed to harass and intimidate the mayor” while he’s appealing the “objectively unreasonable” judgment.
“This lawsuit has always been designed to censor and bully the mayor and to deter others from exercising their right to speak up and to speak out,” Goodman said. He contends that “the justice system has been weaponized” against Giuliani “and so many others for strictly partisan political purposes.”
The initial verdict was for $148 million but lowered slightly in a subsequent judgment by a judge in Washington. Judge Beryl A. Howell rejected his attempt to dismiss the judgment.
Shortly after the verdict, Giuliani filed for bankruptcy. Troubled by Giuliani’s repeated “uncooperative conduct,” U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane decided in July to dismiss the case. Lane labeled Giuliani a “recalcitrant debtor” and said he had thumbed his nose at the bankruptcy process while seeking to shield himself from the defamation judgment and other debts.
According to the filing, Giuliani disclosed that his New York apartment was valued at $5.6 million, while his Florida condo was valued at $3.5 million. The former Trump adviser also testified that the Trump 2020 campaign and Republican National Committee owed him “about $2 million.”
The Aug. 30 filing repeatedly noted Giuliani’s refusal to cooperate with court orders.
In his most recent financial filings, Giuliani said he had about $94,000 cash in hand at the end of May, while his company, Giuliani Communications, had about $237,000 in the bank. A main source of income for the 80-year-old former mayor has been a retirement account with a balance of just over $1 million in May, down from nearly $2.5 million in 2022.
A New York court disbarred Giuliani in July over his statements about the 2020 election.
The Associated Press and Catherine Yang contributed to this report.