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Rudy Giuliani must hand over control of luxury goods and a Manhattan apartment to election workers in Georgia whom he defamed, the judge rules
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Rudy Giuliani must hand over control of luxury goods and a Manhattan apartment to election workers in Georgia whom he defamed, the judge rules



CNN

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered former Donald Trump lawyer and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to turn over all of his prized possessions and his Manhattan penthouse apartment to the control of Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, the Georgia election officials he defamed and to whom he now owes $150 million.

Judge Lewis Liman of federal court in Manhattan said Giuliani must turn over his interest in the property to the women within seven days, to a receivership they would control. The court order to sell the luxury items is quick and easy, but control of the penthouse apartment is transferred, allowing Freeman and Moss to sell it, potentially for millions of dollars.

The women who counted ballots in Georgia after the 2020 election are also entitled to approximately $2 million in legal fees. Giuliani said the Trump campaign still owed him a debt, the judge ruled.

In addition to the Trump campaign fees and New York apartment, Giuliani must also turn over a collection of several watches, including ones given to him by European presidents after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks; an autographed Joe DiMaggio jersey and other sports memorabilia; and a 1980 Mercedes that once belonged to Hollywood star Lauren Bacall. In addition, the judge ordered Giuliani to hand over his television, furniture, television and jewelry.

Liman has not yet decided whether Giuliani can keep a condo in Palm Beach, Florida, which he also owns, or the four New York Yankees World Series rings he owns, which Giuliani's son was reportedly gifted by his father.

Neither Giuliani's spokesman nor lawyers for Freeman and Moss immediately responded to requests for comment.

In this November 2020 photo, Rudy Giuliani wears a Yankees World Series ring during a press conference at the Republican National Committee about lawsuits surrounding the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The defamation case against Giuliani — and recent moves to enforce the ruling — are an example of how the lawyers who supported Trump's election subversion plans have faced the consequences for those actions, even as prosecutions against Trump and his allies have been slow went on to gain traction.

Rudy Giuliani speaks during a press conference outside the federal courthouse in Washington on December 15, 2023.

Listen to the list of Giuliani's assets that can now be seized as a result of the judge's decision

Giuliani, who previously served as a U.S. attorney in Manhattan, has also lost his law license for perpetuating false election claims, and other former Trump lawyers are facing professional disciplinary proceedings. Right-wing news outlets, including Fox News, were forced to settle lawsuits by a voting machine manufacturer and its former CEO that were the subject of other election conspiracy theories.

Last December, a federal jury ordered Giuliani to pay nearly $150 million for his lies about Freeman and Moss, and the couple has been working to collect the money ever since. 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.

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Giuliani was found liable for defamation against Freeman and Moss last year after he failed to respond to parts of their lawsuit. The mother and daughter argued in their case that they suffered emotional and reputational harm and that their safety was compromised after Giuliani singled them out when he made false claims about election manipulation in Georgia, where she worked as a poll worker during the election had election 2020.

The judge has scheduled a hearing on the property in Florida for next Monday.

CNN's Tierney Sneed and Devan Cole contributed to this report.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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