Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is facing more legal challenges as part of an ongoing dispute with two Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, whom he was found guilty of defaming.
The pair claims that Giuliani secretly emptied his $6.5 million New York City apartment, which he was ordered to turn over to them as part of a $150 million damages settlement.
The assets Giuliani is required to surrender include his Manhattan apartment, valued around $6 million, a $3.5 million property in Palm Beach, FL, a Mercedes-Benz, and his New York Yankees World Series rings.
A judge had ruled in October that Giuliani must hand over these and other high-value items, including the Manhattan apartment, which he had tried to sell, along with valuable watches, a signed Joe DiMaggio jersey, sports memorabilia, and a 1980 Mercedes-Benz once owned by actress Lauren Bacall.
Giuliani bought the 10th-floor co-op in 2002 for $4.8 million. It was believed that he had hoped to sell the apartment before Freeman and Moss took possession. However, when Freeman and Moss received the keys, they found the apartment largely emptied of its contents, except for a few rugs, a dining table, some small furniture, and inexpensive wall art.
The pair’s attorney, Aaron Nathan, claims that these items were removed weeks before they were given access and accuses Giuliani and his lawyers of refusing to disclose the location of the missing valuable items.
Nathan also claims that Giuliani’s legal team later revealed that some of the items were moved to a storage facility in Ronkonkoma, Long Island, but they provided no details about what exactly was stored there.
Judge Liman has ordered Giuliani to appear in court on November 7 to explain where the missing valuables are and why they were removed before Freeman and Moss were allowed to inspect the property.
The two women have yet to decide what to do with the apartment but had hoped to choose which items to keep or sell. Giuliani’s Manhattan property, though outdated, boasts a range of rare amenities, including a wood-paneled library, wood-burning fireplace, and views of Central Park, in addition to a monthly maintenance fee of $10,719.
In a surprising turn, this legal issue arises just a day after reports suggested Giuliani might be considering a run for New York mayor in 2025. While he did not deny the rumors, he clarified that he is not currently campaigning.
