A federal judge has ordered former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani to surrender his Manhattan apartment and other personal assets for his false claims about the 2020 election.
The former President Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer was also ordered to hand over sports memorabilia and luxury watches to two Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.
The order comes as part of a $140 million (£106 million) defamation lawsuit the two women won against Mr Giuliani last year.
The lawsuit stemmed from Mr Giuliani’s false accusations that Freeman and Moss tampered with votes during the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
These claims led to widespread harassment and threats against the two women, ultimately resulting in their successful lawsuit.
As part of the ruling, Mr Giuliani must also hand over additional valuables, including his vintage Mercedes-Benz and a jersey signed by baseball legend Joe DiMaggio.
However, the judge deferred a decision on some of Mr Giuliani’s prized possessions, such as three New York Yankees World Series rings, while his son, Andrew Giuliani, claims they were gifted to him.
In addition, the judge ruled that Mses Freeman and Moss are entitled to the $2 million that Mr Giuliani claimed Mr Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign still owes him for legal services.
Should they succeed in collecting these assets, they will begin to recover some of the damages awarded in their defamation case.
The 80-year-old, stripped of his legal credentials and filing for bankruptcy after the case, remains embroiled in a separate trial concerning a “fake elector scheme” in Arizona.
Though Mr Giuliani’s legal team has indicated they plan to appeal the defamation ruling, it is unlikely to alter the outcome unless they can reduce the damages to less than $10 million, approximately the value of his reported assets.
Until then, Mses Freeman and Moss will begin selling the assets to compensate for the damage done to their reputations.
