Giuliani defamation ruling/ Rudy Giuliani court summons/ Giuliani asset seizure/ Giuliani misinformation lawsuit/ Newslooks/ NEW YORK/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Rudy Giuliani is expected in a New York City federal court Thursday after missing a deadline to surrender assets in a $148 million defamation judgment. The former mayor’s belongings, including luxury items and property, were not found in his apartment as ordered by the court. Giuliani’s legal team disputes the ruling, claiming the case is a strategy to “intimidate” him.
“Rudy Giuliani Court Appearance Quick Looks”
- Giuliani Misses Asset Surrender Deadline: After missing a deadline to turn over his valuables, Giuliani has been summoned to explain why he hasn’t complied.
- Assets Missing from NYC Apartment: Lawyers for Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss reported that Giuliani’s apartment was cleared out before their visit.
- Judge Orders Giuliani to Court: U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman has called for an in-person court appearance after learning of the missing possessions.
- Luxury Items in Question: Assets include a $5 million apartment, memorabilia from Joe DiMaggio, and valuable art and sports items.
- Defamation Case Background: Giuliani owes the judgment after a defamation ruling for spreading false claims about the plaintiffs’ involvement in election fraud.
Rudy Giuliani to Face NYC Court Over Missed Asset Deadline
Deep Look
Rudy Giuliani is set to appear before a New York City federal judge on Thursday, where he must explain why he failed to surrender his assets as ordered in a $148 million defamation judgment. The legal battle stems from a lawsuit filed by former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, who were awarded the judgment after Giuliani was found liable for defamation. The ruling came after Giuliani spread baseless claims that the two women engaged in fraudulent ballot manipulation during the 2020 election.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman initially scheduled a phone hearing to address Giuliani’s compliance with the asset surrender but changed it to an in-person court appearance when attorneys for Freeman and Moss discovered that Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment had been largely emptied weeks before their arrival. Liman had set an October 29 deadline for Giuliani, a long-time ally of former President Donald Trump, to hand over numerous high-value items, including his $5 million Upper East Side apartment, a luxury Mercedes-Benz once owned by actress Lauren Bacall, sports memorabilia signed by Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio, and an array of luxury watches.
When attorneys representing the plaintiffs visited the apartment last week, they found it nearly empty. According to attorney Aaron Nathan’s letter to Judge Liman, the apartment’s contents, including art and collectible items, had been moved to a storage facility on Long Island approximately a month prior. The discovery prompted Liman to require Giuliani’s attendance at Thursday’s hearing, rejecting his legal team’s requests for a postponement or a return to the original phone-based hearing format.
Giuliani’s representatives have not commented on the matter, but his legal team has argued that he should not be required to surrender his assets while appealing the judgment. The judge has previously ruled against this request, maintaining that Giuliani must comply with the asset surrender unless and until his appeal is successful.
Giuliani’s spokesperson, Ted Goodman, decried the court’s insistence on asset seizure as an intimidation tactic, accusing opposing counsel of attempting to financially ruin the former mayor. “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,” Goodman said earlier this week.
The defamation judgment follows a court decision holding Giuliani responsible for falsely accusing Freeman and Moss of secretly counting ballots multiple times and tampering with voting machines to influence the 2020 election in favor of Joe Biden. These claims, part of Trump’s larger unsubstantiated narrative of election fraud, led to widespread public harassment and threats against the two women.
The asset seizure is part of the enforcement of the defamation ruling, with Freeman and Moss seeking compensation after facing significant public backlash as a result of Giuliani’s statements. Thursday’s hearing could determine how the judgment will proceed if Giuliani cannot produce the missing assets.
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