CNN
—
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered former Donald Trump lawyer and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to give up all of his valuable assets and his Manhattan penthouse apartment to Ruby Freeman, a Georgia election official he defamed and is now indebted to. He ordered that he be turned over to the custody of Shay Moss. 150 million dollars.
Manhattan Federal Court Judge Louis Lehman said Mr. Giuliani must turn over ownership to the women and hand them over to a trustee within seven days. A judge’s order to hand over the luxury items would be quick and easy, but it would transfer control of the penthouse apartment and allow Freeman and Moss to sell it, potentially for millions of dollars.
The women who counted Georgia’s votes after the 2020 election are also entitled to about $2 million in legal fees that Giuliani claimed the Trump campaign still owed, the judge ruled.
In addition to the Trump campaign’s campaign funds and his New York apartment, Giuliani must also surrender several watch collections, including one given to him by European presidents after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Autographed Joe DiMaggio jerseys and other sports memorabilia. and a 1980 Mercedes once owned by Hollywood star Lauren Bacall. Additionally, the judge ordered Giuliani to surrender his television, furniture and jewelry.
Mr. Lehman has yet to decide whether he can continue to own Mr. Giuliani’s Palm Beach, Fla., condominium and the four New York Yankees World Series rings that Mr. Giuliani’s son claims were given to him by his father. do not have.
Neither a spokesperson for Mr. Giuliani nor lawyers for Mr. Freeman and Mr. Moss immediately responded to requests for comment.
The defamation lawsuit against Mr. Giuliani and the latest steps to enforce the verdict come despite delays in criminal prosecutions against Mr. Trump and his allies, as lawyers who helped Mr. Trump plan to subvert the election This is an example of how people face the consequences of their actions. Gain traction.
Hear the list of Giuliani’s assets now subject to seizure due to judge’s decision
Mr. Giuliani, who also previously served as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan, has had his law license revoked for continuing to make false claims in the election, and professional disciplinary proceedings against other former Trump lawyers are underway. . Right-wing news outlets, including Fox News, have been forced to settle lawsuits brought by voting machine companies and their former executives that were the subject of other election conspiracy theories.
Last December, a federal jury ordered Giuliani to pay nearly $150 million for lies about Freeman and Moss, and the two have been working ever since to recoup that money. Freeman was ordered to pay $16,171,000 for defamation, Moss was ordered to pay $16,998,000 for defamation, $20 million for emotional distress to each woman, and a total of $75 million in punitive damages. .
Why Rudy Giuliani’s daughter says she’ll vote for Kamala Harris
Mr. Giuliani was found guilty of defamation last year after failing to respond to parts of Mr. Freeman and Mr. Moss’ lawsuit. The mother and daughter allege in the lawsuit that Giuliani named them when he made false claims of ballot tampering in Georgia and suffered emotional and reputational damage because Giuliani worked as a poll worker during the campaign. He claimed that not only did he suffer from this, but his safety was also at risk. 2020 Election.
A judge has scheduled a hearing on the Florida property next Monday.
CNN’s Tierney Sneed and Devan Cole contributed to this report.
This story has been updated with additional developments.