Atlanta

Judge threatens Giuliani with contempt if he doesn’t turn property over to Fulton poll workers

By Scott Flynn, WSBTV.com

Giuliani Election Misinformation Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani arrives at the court to explain to a federal judge why he hasn't surrendered his valuables as part of a $148 million defamation judgment, in New York, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

By Scott Flynn, WSBTV.com

ATLANTA — A federal judge has threatened to hold former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in contempt if he doesn’t turn over his property next week to two Fulton County poll workers who he defamed in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

Today’s 90-minute hearing devolved into what the judge called “griping,” according to ABC News after a lawyer for former election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss accused Giuliani of “game playing” and an attorney for Giuliani accused the two women of being “vindictive.”

The hearing comes just two days after Giuliani showed up to vote at his polling place in Florida in a Mercedes convertible that he was supposed to turn over to the women.

Giuliani filed for bankruptcy after a jury awarded Fulton County election workers Ruby Freeman and Shay Moss $148 million after they said he continued to spread lies about them tampering with votes from the 2020 election.

When Giuliani filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December, he said he had less than $10 million in assets but more than $100 million in debt.

In July, a federal judge threw out Giuliani’s bankruptcy case, saying it was in the best interests of creditors.

In October, a judge ordered that Giuliani had to turn over all his possessions and his Manhattan apartment to Freeman and Moss to help pay off the $148 million judgement.

Earlier this week, attorneys for Freeman and Moss reported to the court that they went to Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment last week to see what assets were there, but that it had been cleared out.

“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,” attorney Aaron Nathan told the New York Post.

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Those possessions include his $5 million Upper East Side apartment, the 1980 Mercedes once owned by movie star Lauren Bacall, and a variety of other belongings — from his television to a shirt signed by New York Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio to 26 luxury watches.

The former New York City mayor was given a Nov. 14 deadline to turn over the shares in his Upper East Side co-op apartment, valuable sports memorabilia, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, and luxury watches -- including one that belonged to Giuliani’s grandfather.

When defense lawyer Ken Caruso complained that forcing Giuliani to relinquish his grandfather’s watch was “vindictive,” an exasperated Judge Lewis Liman said, “Oh come on!”

“The law is the law, and I don’t apply it differently to your client,” Liman said. “Don’t come to me and say something is vindictive.”

The judge was equally unmoved by the defense argument that Giuliani’s car, a blue Mercedes-Benz convertible once owned by the actress Lauren Bacall, was exempt from the judgment because it’s worth less than $4,000.

“Monday the title and keys will be delivered as well as the physical location of the car,” Judge Liman said.

Giuliani also balked at relinquishing about $2 million dollars he is owed for legal work performed for Donald Trump.

“They wanted that money to make a political statement,” Caruso said.

Liman did not budge and reminded Giuliani of the consequences.

“He is under an unqualified order to deliver all the receivership property to the receiver,” Liman said. “If he doesn’t comply then I’m sure I’ll get a motion for contempt. If he hasn’t delivered, and there is a way in which he could have delivered, he’ll be subject to contempt sanctions.”

ABC News contributed to this article.

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