Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is set to be the first witness at a trial to determine whether he can keep his Florida condominium and three World Series rings or must turn them over to satisfy a $148 million defamation judgment awarded to two Georgia election workers. The trial, which begins Thursday morning at a federal court in Manhattan, will be heard without a jury.
Giuliani, 80, faces the trial after being found in contempt for failing to provide information on some of his assets to the lawyers for the women. As a result, Judge Lewis J. Liman banned Giuliani from introducing some evidence in the trial.
The trial will not revisit whether Giuliani defamed the women or the amount of the judgment against him but will focus on whether he can retain certain valuable assets. These assets include his condominium in Palm Beach, Florida, which he claims as his homestead since January 2024. However, lawyers for the election workers argue that Giuliani continued to operate as if his New York apartment was his residence until it was surrendered as part of the judgment.
Additionally, three World Series rings that Giuliani says he gave to his son in 2018 are also at stake. Giuliani claims he received the rings from the late New York Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner, in 2002 and estimated their total worth at $27,000. Lawyers for the election workers question the ownership of the rings, pointing out discrepancies in tax records and insurance coverage.
Giuliani, who has already surrendered assets including a New York apartment and a 1980 Mercedes, insists that his remaining assets are tied up and inaccessible. His total assets are estimated to be around $10 million, with the Palm Beach condominium valued at over $3 million.
The defamation judgment was awarded to Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, who claimed that Giuliani's false claims about the 2020 presidential election being stolen led to death threats, putting their lives in danger.
