Two former Georgia election officials who won a $148 million defamation judgment against Rudy Giuliani asked a court Friday to award the former New York mayor's cash-strapped apartment and other properties as they continue their efforts to collect huge debts intensify.
Lawyers for Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss asked the U.S. District Court in Manhattan to force Giuliani to give up his Madison Avenue apartment, the remaining cash and some of his prized New York Yankees memorabilia, including three World Series rings and a signed Joe DiMaggio shirt.
Freeman and Moss also made a claim for approximately $2 million. Giuliani said Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign owed him and they were trying to take control of another Giuliani property – his condo in Palm Beach, Florida – through a different legal mechanism known as receivership.
Freeman and Moss, the mother and daughter whom Giuliani targeted after Trump's 2020 election loss, are trying to reduce the ex-mayor's debts to them following the collapse of his bankruptcy case, which had debt collections suspended last month.
If Giuliani doesn't turn over his property in a timely manner, lawyers for Freeman and Moss said they will look at other means to take control, citing his history of “evasion, obstruction and outright disobedience.”
“This strategy reaches its end here,” attorney Aaron Nathan wrote.
Giuliani spokesman Ted Goodman criticized Friday's filing as a move “intended to harass and intimidate the mayor” as he appeals the “objectively unreasonable” ruling.
“This lawsuit has always been designed to censor and harass the mayor and deter others from exercising their right to speak and express themselves,” Goodman said. He claims that “the justice system has been weaponized against Giuliani and so many others for purely partisan political purposes.”
Giuliani, a longtime Trump ally, filed for bankruptcy last December, just days after paying spectacular damages to Freeman and Moss. The women said Giuliani's baseless attacks on them after Trump narrowly lost Georgia to Joe Biden led to death threats that left them fearing for their lives.
As Giuliani's bankruptcy case unfolded, lawyers for Freeman and Moss accused him of using the process as a “bad faith litigation tactic” and a “pause button on his problems.” Creditors accused him of violating bankruptcy laws and possibly hiding assets.
Disturbed by Giuliani's repeated “uncooperative behavior,” self-dealing and lack of transparency, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane decided in July to dismiss the case. Lane called Giuliani a “recalcitrant debtor” and said he mocked the bankruptcy proceedings while trying to protect himself from the defamation judgment and other debts.
Among Lane's concerns was that Giuliani was funneling his income – including at least $15,000 a month from his now-canceled talk radio show – into companies he owned; never reported any income from these companies; failed to mention that he had begun promoting his own brand, “Rudy Coffee”; and delayed disclosing a contract requiring him to write a book.
The bankruptcy dismissal paved the way for Giuliani's creditors – most notably Freeman and Moss – to take legal action to recover at least some of the money they were owed. It also gave Giuliani freedom to continue his appeal of the defamation ruling.
Shortly after the bankruptcy case closed, lawyers for Freeman and Moss said they filed judgment papers, placed liens on Giuliani's properties in New York and Florida and sent him a subpoena demanding information about his assets. Giuliani had not responded to the subpoena as of Friday, the lawyers said.
Giuliani has been trying to sell his Manhattan co-op apartment for more than a year amid mounting debts and legal troubles. Originally listed for $6.5 million in July 2023, the asking price has since dropped to $5.7 million. During the bankruptcy case, he said the Palm Beach condo was valued at $3.5 million.
In addition to his homes, cash and Yankees memorabilia, Freeman and Moss also want to take about two dozen of Giuliani's watches, a diamond ring, costume jewelry, a television, various pieces of furniture and a 1980 Mercedes-Benz SL500.
The items, including autographed pictures of Reggie Jackson and Yankee Stadium, would then be auctioned off with the proceeds going to Freeman and Moss, their lawyers said. All told, the property and cash sought by the women could be worth more than $10 million – a significant sum, but only a small fraction of what they are entitled to.
The possible loss of his property is one of many legal problems plaguing the 80-year-old Giuliani, the former federal prosecutor and 2008 Republican presidential candidate who was once hailed as the “Mayor of America” for his calm and persistent leadership after Sept. 1 . 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
In July, he was disbarred in New York after a court found he repeatedly made false statements about Trump's 2020 election loss. He also faces losing his license to practice law in Washington after a panel recommended that he be revoked in May.
Giuliani is facing criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona for his role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He pleaded not guilty in both cases.
When he filed for bankruptcy, Giuliani listed nearly $153 million in existing or potential debts, including the $148 million he owed Freeman and Moss, nearly $1 million in state and federal tax liabilities, and money that he owed lawyers. He estimated that he had assets worth between $1 million and $10 million.
In his most recent financial filings, he said he had about $94,000 cash on hand at the end of May, while his company, Giuliani Communications, had about $237,000 in the bank. A primary source of income for Giuliani was a retirement account with a balance of just over $1 million in May, up from nearly $2.5 million in 2022.
In May, he spent nearly $33,000, including nearly $28,000 on condo and co-op costs for his homes in Florida and New York. He also spent approximately $850 on groceries, $390 on cleaning services, $230 on medications, $200 on laundry and $190 on vehicles.
