Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and a prominent ally of Donald Trump, will appear in court on Thursday to explain why he has not complied with a $148 million defamation judgment by surrendering his valuable possessions. The assets were supposed to be turned over to lawyers representing two former Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, who were awarded the judgment after Giuliani falsely accused them of election fraud.
US District Judge Lewis Liman issued the order after learning that representatives for Freeman and Moss visited Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment last week only to find it largely emptied. The visit was part of the process to assess the logistics for seizing Giuliani’s possessions, which included his $5 million Upper East Side apartment, a 1980 Mercedes once owned by actress Lauren Bacall, a signed shirt from New York Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio, luxury watches, and other valuables.
The former mayor had been given until October 29 to turn over the items, but when the lawyers for Freeman and Moss arrived, they discovered that most of the apartment's contents had been removed weeks earlier. The items were reportedly placed in storage on Long Island. The attorneys for Freeman and Moss wrote in a letter to Judge Liman that they were told by Giuliani’s representatives that the majority of the apartment’s possessions had already been moved.
Giuliani’s legal team has argued that he should not be required to surrender his possessions while he appeals the defamation ruling. However, Judge Liman rejected the request to delay Thursday’s court appearance or hold it by phone, insisting that Giuliani appear in person.
A spokesperson for Giuliani responded to the ongoing legal disputes by calling the actions of opposing counsel "intimidation tactics." Ted Goodman, Giuliani's spokesperson, accused the opposing lawyers of trying to bully and bankrupt the former mayor.
Giuliani was found liable for defamation after falsely accusing Freeman and Moss of participating in a wide-ranging election fraud scheme during the 2020 presidential election. The two women received threats of violence as a result of Giuliani's claims, which included allegations that they were involved in ballot tampering and machine manipulation—accusations that were completely unfounded.
No comments:
Post a Comment