Rudolph Giuliani, the former personal attorney to Donald Trump, is embroiled in a fresh legal skirmish with two former Georgia election workers who won a significant defamation judgment against him. Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea' "Shaye" Moss, have filed a lawsuit seeking to seize Giuliani's assets, including his luxury Palm Beach condominium, in an effort to enforce a $148 million judgment awarded to them last December.
The lawsuit, lodged in Manhattan federal court, accuses Giuliani of attempting to shield his assets from creditors through what Freeman and Moss describe as a "brazen" maneuver. Giuliani declared the Palm Beach condominium his primary residence just one day after a federal judge dismissed his Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, which had previously shielded him from the judgment. This declaration, the plaintiffs argue, is an attempt to exploit Florida's homestead exemption laws, which protect a person's primary residence from creditors.
In their complaint, Freeman and Moss contend that Giuliani's declaration is disingenuous. "He is trying to 'toy with' Florida's homestead exemption to shield a multi-million dollar asset from his creditors," they stated. The plaintiffs seek court authorization to enforce an August 8 lien against Giuliani's Palm Beach property, which they hope to seize and sell to satisfy their judgment.
Giuliani, 80, has been under increasing legal and financial pressure. Last December, a Washington jury found him liable for defamation, ordering him to pay Freeman and Moss for falsely accusing them of election fraud related to the 2020 presidential election. Giuliani's subsequent Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing was dismissed by a federal judge who found he had failed to provide accurate financial disclosures.
The dismissal of the bankruptcy case removed the legal shield from creditors like Freeman and Moss, allowing them to pursue Giuliani's assets. In their recent filing, Freeman and Moss argue that Giuliani has repeatedly evaded compliance with court orders and obstructed their efforts to collect the judgment. "Mr. Giuliani has proven time and again that he will never voluntarily comply with court orders," their lawyers stated. "At every step, Mr. Giuliani has chosen evasion, obstruction, and outright disobedience."
Giuliani's spokesperson, Ted Goodman, denounced the plaintiffs' actions as attempts to "harass and intimidate" the former mayor. "The justice system has been weaponized against Mayor Giuliani and so many others for strictly partisan political purposes," Goodman asserted. He argued that the appeal of the judgment has not yet been heard and criticized the plaintiffs for their aggressive legal tactics.
Freeman and Moss are also targeting other assets of Giuliani, including cash, jewelry, and his Upper East Side apartment. They have requested that a receiver be appointed to manage and potentially liquidate these assets if necessary. The legal action reflects the ongoing fallout from Giuliani's high-profile defamation case and his broader legal troubles.
In addition to the defamation verdict, Giuliani faces multiple legal challenges, including an indictment in Arizona related to the state's fake elector case and a disbarment in New York. The mounting legal and financial pressures on Giuliani underscore a tumultuous period in his post-mayoral career, marked by significant legal setbacks and personal controversies.
