In a recent court appearance in New York City, lawyers for Rudy Giuliani dismissed allegations that the former mayor is hiding assets to avoid paying a defamation payment he owes to two Georgia election workers. NBC New York’s Chris Glorioso reports.
A representative for Rudy Giuliani says the former New York City mayor is relinquishing his cherished watches ahead of a Friday deadline to turn over his assets to two former Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation judgment against him.
A judge last week ordered Giuliani to hand over a trove of prized possessions, including a 1980 Mercedes once owned by movie star Lauren Bacall and more than two dozen watches, after missing an Oct. 29 deadline.
On Thursday evening, Giuliani spokesperson Ted Goodman posted a video on the social platform X from a FedEx store in Florida, where he showed at least 18 watches and a ring laid out on a table that he said were being turned over.
“This right here folks, this is the accumulation of 60 years of hard work,” Goodman said as the video panned over the array of black, brown, gold and silver-banded timepieces. “Many of these watches hold great sentimental value and he’s being forced to turn all these over under court order.”
Goodman went on to cite Giuliani’s role as mayor during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
“This is a man who demonstrated courage by running towards the flames and now he’s being forced to turn all this over under court order in an absolute bastardization of our justice system,” Goodman said.
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“I have to document this,” he continued. “What’s happening is wrong. It’s shameful and we must restore the integrity of the U.S. justice system.”
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Neither Goodman nor Giuliani’s two lawyers immediately responded to an email seeking comment Friday.
Earlier this week, attorneys Kenneth Caruso and David Labkowski sought the court’s permission to stop representing Giuliani, citing disagreements with him.
A lawyer for the two women who won the defamation case, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, also didn’t immediately respond on Friday.
After Giuliani was ordered again to turn over his assets in Manhattan federal court last week, he claimed he was the victim of a “political vendetta” and said he expects to win on appeal and get everything back.
“This is a case of political persecution,” he said at the time. “There isn’t a person (who) doesn’t know the judgment is ridiculous.”
In addition to 26 watches and his 1980 Mercedes-Benz SL 500, the possessions to be surrendered include Giuliani's $5 million Upper East Side apartment and a shirt signed by New York Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio.
Representatives for Freeman and Moss said last week that they had visited Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment and discovered it was cleared out before the October deadline.
Giuliani was found liable for defamation for falsely accusing Freeman and Moss of ballot fraud as he pushed Trump’s unsubstantiated election fraud allegations during the 2020 campaign.
The women said they faced death threats after Giuliani accused them of sneaking in ballots in suitcases, counting ballots multiple times and tampering with voting machines.
