In a recent court appearance in New York City, lawyers for Rudy Giuliani dismissed allegations that the former mayor is hiding assets to avoid paying a defamation payment he owes to two Georgia election workers. NBC New York’s Chris Glorioso reports.
An angry, animated and combative Rudy Giuliani said a civil case to take his most prized assets was like "a political persecution" before he entered a New York City courthouse Thursday to explain to a federal judge why he hasn't surrendered his valuables as part of a $148 million defamation judgment.
Judge Lewis Liman ordered the former New York City mayor to report to court after lawyers for the two former Georgia election workers who were awarded the massive judgment visited Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment last week only to discover it had been cleared out weeks earlier.
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The judge had set an Oct. 29 deadline for the longtime ally of once-and-future President Donald Trump to surrender many of his possessions to lawyers for Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss.
The possessions include his $5 million Upper East Side apartment, a 1980 Mercedes once owned by movie star Lauren Bacall, a shirt signed by New York Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio, dozens of luxury watches and other valuables.
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When he arrived at Manhattan federal court, Giuliani told reporters that he has not stood in the way of the court's orders.
“Every bit of property that they want is available, if they are entitled to it,” he said. “Now, the law says they’re not entitled to a lot of them. For example, they want my grandfather’s watch, which is 150 years old. That’s a bit of an heirloom. Usually you don’t get those unless you’re involved in a political persecution. In fact, having me here today is like a political persecution.”
The judge said the heirloom watch was not exempt from being turned over, telling the packed courtroom, "if they owe a debt, they have to pay a debt, it doesn’t matter if it was handed down."
During the court proceeding, which lasted over an hour, a lawyer for Freeman and Moss and a lawyer for Giuliani disputed whether Giuliani has done all he can to turn over assets.
Liman ordered Giuliani by Monday to hand over the keys and title to the Mercedes, which he was seen riding in outside a Florida polling place ahead of the election. The other property — including the watches, jewelry, money and furniture — must be turned over by Nov. 15, the judge ordered.
Liman originally scheduled a phone conference about the situation, but he changed it to a hearing in Manhattan federal court that Giuliani must attend after learning about the visit to the former mayor's apartment.
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Aaron Nathan, an attorney for the election workers, wrote in a letter to Liman that the residence was already “substantially empty” when representatives for his clients visited with a moving company official to assess the transportation and storage needs for the property Giuliani was ordered to surrender.
He said the group was told most of the apartment's contents, including art, sports memorabilia and other valuables, had been moved out about four weeks prior and that some of it had been placed in storage on Long Island.
“This is the one piece of property that is sitting in Manhattan and cannot be moved,” said Nathan. “With respect to everything else there has been game-playing.”
At the hearing, Nathan complained that efforts to get assets were met by “delay and then evasion.”
Giuliani spoke directly to the judge at one point, saying he'd been “treated rudely” by those trying to take control of his assets. His lawyers have so far argued unsuccessfully that their client should not be forced to turn over his belongings while he appeals the judgment.
Giuliani‘s lawyer Ken Caruso told the judge his client is cooperating, but he did not have access to the Ronkonkoma storage facility where some of the items were kept, and didn't know where some of the assets were located. At one point, the judge called that excuse "farcical."
"It strikes me as kind of hard to believe that your client wouldn’t be able to get someone at the storage property to open it up. If he doesn’t comply I’m going to get a motion for contempt," the judge said.
Liman also denied a request from Giuliani's legal team to postpone Thursday's court appearance to next week or hold it by phone, as originally planned.
Nathan accused Giuliani of opening secret bank accounts and LLC’s. One account opened in July 2024 containing $40,000, and a company Standard USA, LLC, where Giuliani holds an 88% interest. There was also $2 million from Giuliani’s work during President-elect Donald Trump's first term, and $3,000 in a Citibank account which Caruso made light of which angered Judge Liman.
Outside of court, Giuliani insisted that the defamation judgment he owes will be overturned on appeal.
"They can take all my property but they’re not going to get me to back off of what I believe. I believe the election in 2020 was fixed," Giuliani said.
A Giuliani spokesperson, meanwhile, dismissed the legal wrangling as intimidation tactics.
“Opposing counsel, acting either negligently or deliberately in a deceptive manner, are simply attempting to further bully and intimidate Mayor Giuliani until he is rendered penniless and homeless,” Ted Goodman, his spokesperson, said earlier this week.
Giuliani was found liable for defamation for falsely accusing Freeman and Moss of ballot fraud as he pushed Trump's unsubstantiated election fraud allegations during the 2020 campaign.
The women said they faced death threats after Giuliani accused the two of sneaking in ballots in suitcases, counting ballots multiple times and tampering with voting machines.
Adam Reiss of NBC News contributed to this report.
