Giuliani misses deadline to turn over possessions, election workers say
( The Hill ) — Rudy Giuliani missed last week's deadline to hand over most of his assets to two Georgia election workers who won a $146 million defamation judgment against him, the election workers' attorneys said.
The attorneys also indicated that they discovered Giuliani had moved most of his belongings to which the workers are entitled under a court order out of his New York apartment.
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"Save for some rugs, a dining room table, some stray pieces of small furniture and inexpensive wall art, and a handful of smaller items like dishes and stereo equipment, the Apartment has been emptied of all of its contents," Aaron Nathan, the workers' attorney, wrote in a Monday letter .
On Tuesday, Giuliani was spotted arriving at former President Donald Trump's polling place in Florida in what appears to be the former mayor's 1980 Mercedes-Benz SL500, which he was also ordered to turn over by last week.
In a statement, Giuliani spokesperson Ted Goodman said he "has made available his property and possessions as ordered" and that he put a "few items" into storage over the past year. Anything else removed is related to Giuliani's nightly livestreams, Goodman said.
"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. This is just another way that they've weaponized our once-sacred justice system. It should concern each and every American," Goodman said.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman responded to the letter by ordering Giuliani to appear in person for a Thursday hearing in New York. Giuliani's lawyer has asked for a delay or that he be allowed to appear virtually, citing a contractual commitment to host a live radio broadcast in the evening.
"In order to keep this commitment, he needs to be in his condo in Palm Beach, where he has his broadcasting equipment," Kenneth Caruso, Giuliani's attorney, wrote in court filings .
Liman ordered Giuliani to turn over his New York City apartment, car, sports memorabilia, luxury watches and other items of value to satisfy a $146 million judgment for defaming the two Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, by spreading a baseless conspiracy they were involved in mass election fraud in 2020.
The election workers are expected to recover far less, however, as Giuliani disclosed only $10.6 million in assets when he filed for bankruptcy late last year.
Last week, Caruso told the judge last week that Giuliani "is, and will remain, ready to comply" with the turnover order but that the election workers hadn't provided information for how to deliver it. The workers' attorney has since called that statement misleading.
