Rudy Giuliani ordered to hand over New York apartment, 26 watches, to Georgia election officials | News, sports, jobs

FILE – Rudy Giuliani speaks during a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Washington, December 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Rudy Giuliani must hand over sports memorabilia and other valuable assets to two Georgia election officials who won a $148 million defamation judgment against him, including his New York apartment, more than two dozen luxury watches and a 1980 Mercedes that It belonged to movie star Lauren Bacall. , a judge ruled on Tuesday.

But U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan also said Giuliani does not need to give election workers three New York Yankees World Series rings or his Florida condominium — for now — noting that those assets are tied up in other litigation.

The estate that Giuliani must relinquish is expected to net several million dollars for Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss. They won the $148 million judgment over Giuliani’s false voter fraud allegations against them related to the 2020 presidential election. They said Giuliani pushed Donald Trump’s lies about stealing the election, which led to death threats that made them fear for their lives.

Under Tuesday’s order, Giuliani must give up within seven days his Manhattan apartment, estimated to be worth more than $5 million, as well as his interest in about $2 million that, according to him, the presidential campaign of Trump in 2020 owes him for his services.

Also on the list of assets to be turned over to Freeman and Moss are a 1980 Mercedes-Benz SL 500, previously owned by Bacall; a jersey and photo signed, respectively, by Yankees legends Joe DiMaggio and Reggie Jackson; an autographed photo of Yankee Stadium; a diamond ring; costume jewelry and 26 watches, including a Rolex, five Shinolas, two Bulovas and a Tiffany & Co.

In court documents filed earlier this year, Giuliani estimated the Mercedes was worth about $25,000, and the watches, World Series rings and jewelry were worth about $30,000. He said the value of his sports memorabilia was unknown.

One of these watches was given to Giuliani by his grandfather and he asked permission to keep it due to its sentimental value. But Liman rejected the request, saying Giuliani could have exonerated him if he had proven he was worth less than $1,000 — but he didn’t.

“The Court also has no doubt that some of the items may have sentimental value to the Defendant,” added the judge. “But this does not give the Defendant the right to continue enjoying the assets to the detriment of the Plaintiffs, to whom he owes approximately $150 million. After all, the policy underlying these New York statutes is that ‘no man should be permitted to live both in luxury and in debt.’”

Liman wrote that Freeman and Moss would be allowed to sell the property and “ensure that liquidation of transferred assets is carried out quickly.”

Giuliani asked the judge to block Freeman and Moss from selling any of their assets until the appeal of the sentence was completed. Liman also rejected the request, saying Giuliani could have asked the federal court in Washington, D.C., where Freeman and Moss won their case, to halt any asset sales pending his appeal, but he did not do so.

Giuliani’s lawyers, Kenneth Caruso and David Labkowski, said in a statement Tuesday night: “Stay tuned. When the decision is reversed in the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals, these Plaintiffs will be required to return all of these assets to Mr. Giuliani. We repeat, stay tuned.”

To date, Giuliani has not paid Freeman and Moss anything.

“We are proud that our clients will finally begin receiving some of the compensation they are entitled to for Giuliani’s actions,” Aaron Nathan, attorney for Freeman and Moss, said in a statement. “This result should send a powerful message that there is a price to pay for those who choose to intentionally spread misinformation.”

As for the World Series rings, Giuliani’s son Andrew filed court documents earlier this month saying he is the rightful owner. He said his father gave him four rings — one each for the Yankees’ championships in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 — as gifts in 2018. Rudy Giuliani received the rings during his tenure as mayor of New York City. The younger Giuliani’s lawsuit is pending in Manhattan federal court.

Freeman and Moss also asked Liman to order Rudy Giuliani to hand over his Palm Beach, Florida, condominium, estimated to be worth more than $3 million. But that property is tied up in other litigation, with Giuliani claiming it should be exempt because it is his primary residence. Freeman and Moss have a lien on the Florida property.

Liman said he would take over the Florida condominium at a hearing on Oct. 28 and prohibited Giuliani from selling the property or taking any action that would diminish its value.

After the $148 million verdict, Giuliani filed for bankruptcy, which froze Freeman and Moss’ attempts to collect the award. But a judge in July dismissed the case citing repeated “uncooperative conduct”, including failure to comply with court orders and disclosure of sources of income.