A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump’s former lawyer and former mayor of New York City, must transfer all his valuable assets, including his Manhattan penthouse, to Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. The two Georgia election workers, whom Giuliani defamed, are now entitled to $150 million in compensatory damages.
Judge Lewis Liman of Manhattan federal court ordered Giuliani to transfer the property to Freeman and Moss within seven days, placing it under their personal control. While the transfer of luxury items is straightforward, the transfer of the penthouse will allow Freeman and Moss to sell it, potentially earning millions. Furthermore, the judge ruled that the women are entitled to about $2 million in legal fees that Giuliani claims the Trump campaign still owes him.
In addition to Trump’s campaign expenses and the New York apartment, Giuliani must also surrender a collection of watches, including those gifted to him by European presidents following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks; a jersey autographed by Joe DiMaggio and various sports memorabilia; and a 1980 Mercedes previously owned by Hollywood actress Lauren Bacall.
Judge Liman has not yet made a decision on whether Giuliani will be allowed to preserve his condo in Palm Beach, Florida, or the New York Yankees’ four World Series rings, which Giuliani’s son claims were given to him by his father as a gift.
Michael Gottlieb, an attorney representing Freeman and Moss, said during an appearance on CNN’s “OutFront” with Erin Burnett that the judge’s order is a “necessary and crucial step in helping our clients recover some of what was taken from them.”
Gottlieb then added that, “Today’s ruling, I think, is an example of how the justice system, even though it may take some time and even though it may take resolve and the courage of people like Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, will hold powerful people to account for these kinds of wrongs.”
The day after the judge issued the order, Giuliani’s spokesman Ted Goodman heavily criticized the court system, saying in a press release that the former mayor is being “unfairly punished by partisan political actors who seek to make an example of him,” claiming that he is being harassed and intimidated.
Goodman added that Joe DiMaggio’s autographed jersey is a personal gift from the baseball player and pointed out that the 1980 Mercedes-Benz is the only vehicle owned by Giuliani.
“They’ve limited his access to his personal bank accounts and credit cards, and they’ve barred him from his business accounts in a misguided attempt to undermine his highly successful two-hour livestream program on X and other social media platforms,” Goodman’s statement read. “Mayor Giuliani believes that justice will ultimately prevail and that he will be fully vindicated, just as he has been in numerous other instances.”
Giuliani, who formerly served as U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, also had his law license revoked due to promoting false election statements, while professional disciplinary actions are still pending against other former Trump attorneys.
In addition, last December, a federal jury ruled that Giuliani must pay nearly $150 million for his false statements about Freeman and Moss, and the two have since been actively pursuing collection of that sum. He was ordered to pay $16,171,000 to Freeman for defamation, $16,998,000 to Moss for defamation, $20 million to each woman for emotional distress, and a total of $75 million in punitive damages.
