Giuliani settles lawsuit with former Georgia election officials

Rudy Giuliani, center, speaks to reporters after leaving the federal courthouse in Washington, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

Rudy Giuliani reached a deal Thursday with two former Georgia campaign workers that allows him to keep his homes and personal belongings in exchange for compensation and a promise never to defame them again, lawyers and women said.

The trial would decide ownership of his Florida condo and three World Series rings and was scheduled to begin in the morning with Giuliani's testimony. But that never happened. In the afternoon, all parties announced an agreement.

Former campaign worker Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss had claimed all of Giuliani’s property as part of a $148 million libel judgment against him.

The women won the defamation verdict after saying Giuliani's lies about stealing the 2020 presidential election led to death threats that left them fearing for their lives.

In a statement, the women said: “The last four years have been a living nightmare. We fought to clear our name, restore our reputation and prove we did nothing wrong. Today is an important milestone on our journey. We have reached an agreement and can now move on with our lives. We have agreed to allow Mr. Giuliani to retain his property in exchange for compensation and his promise never to defame us.”

The amount of compensation was not disclosed.

Giuliani released a statement on social media saying he had found a solution that would do justice to the verdict against him.

“This resolution does not constitute an admission of liability or wrongdoing by either party. I am satisfied with the result achieved and have no complaints. I was able to keep my New York co-op and my Florida condo and all of my personal belongings,” he said.

“No one deserves to be subjected to threats, harassment or intimidation. This litigation has taken its toll on all parties. This whole episode was unfortunate. “I and the plaintiffs have agreed never to speak about each other in defamatory terms, and I urge others to do the same,” Giuliani said.

Giuliani's lawyer, Joseph Cammarata, said outside the courthouse that the deal was the result of long negotiations over the past three days that lasted “until the early hours of the morning.”

The deal negated the need for a trial that was scheduled to begin Thursday morning in federal court in Manhattan, where Giuliani was scheduled to be the first witness. He never came to court. The former Georgia election official won the verdict against him.

Giuliani, 80, was scheduled to testify before the same judge who found him in contempt last week for failing to turn over information about some of his assets to the women's lawyers. As punishment, Judge Lewis J. Liman barred Giuliani from presenting some evidence.

Giuliani, who served as President-elect Donald Trump's personal attorney for a time during his first term, was also convicted of contempt last week in Washington, D.C. The judge there found that Giuliani continued to defame election officials by repeating false claims that he miscounted votes in the 2020 presidential race.

While waiting, Giuliani posted a video on social media showing a dog named Vinny on the grounds of Trump's Palm Beach, Florida, estate. The dog, the post says, “loves hanging out at Mar-a-Lago” but is “willing to spend a lot more time in Washington, DC” in support of Trump. It was not clear when the recording was taken.

The aim of the trial was not to reassess whether Giuliani had defamed the women or what the sentence was against him – both of which are already decided issues – but rather to determine whether he could keep certain valuable assets instead to give them away.

This included his condominium in Palm Beach, Florida. The former mayor says he settled there in January 2024, but attorneys for election officials say he continued to act as if his New York apartment was his residence until it was vacated as part of the ruling in the fall.

Also at stake were three World Series rings, which Giuliani said he gave to his son Andrew in 2018.

As part of the agreements, Andrew Giuliani will keep the rings, lawyers said.

At a recent hearing, Giuliani said he was “not impoverished” but did not have access to most of his remaining assets.

“Everything I have is bound. I don't have a car. I don't have a credit card. I don't have any cash. I can't access bank accounts that would really belong to me because, for example, they have put freeze orders on my Social Security account, which they have no right to do,” he said.

Giuliani said during a deposition last month that George Steinbrenner, the late New York Yankees owner, gave him the rings in 2002, though he insisted on paying for them, telling Steinbrenner, “These are for Andrew.” He testified that he immediately gave one to Andrew and kept three others for safekeeping. He estimated their total value at $27,000.

Giuliani's total assets are not expected to be much more than $10 million. The Palm Beach condo is believed to be worth more than $3 million.

He had already given away a New York apartment worth about $5 million, a 1980 Mercedes that once belonged to movie star Lauren Bacall, numerous luxury watches and other assets.

Giuliani settles lawsuit with former Georgia election officials

Rudy Giuliani's Florida condo and World Series rings are at stake in the lawsuit

January 14th | Larry Neumeister and Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani arrives in court to explain to a federal judge why he failed to turn over his valuables as part of a $148 million defamation judgment, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in New York. AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura

The combative Giuliani appears in a New York court after missing a deadline to hand over assets

November 7 | Larry Neumeister and Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press

This photo provided by the Financial Times shows Rudy Giuliani in the passenger seat of a Mercedes convertible at the same polling station where Donald Trump cast his vote on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. Alex Rogers/Financial Times via AP

Rudy Giuliani was forced to appear in court after missing the deadline to hand over Mercedes and other assets

November 5 | Larry Neumeister and Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press