New court filings reveal that lawyers representing Rudy Giuliani are seeking to withdraw from his defamation case due to disagreements with him. The lawyers cited ethics rules that prevent them from working for clients with whom they have fundamental disagreements or who are uncooperative. The specifics of the disagreements between Giuliani and his legal team remain redacted in the court documents.
Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, is facing a Friday deadline to turn over valuable possessions to two Georgia election workers to whom he owes nearly $150 million. The election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, were defamed by Giuliani for allegedly tampering with votes in the 2020 election.
Despite Giuliani's efforts to fight the court decisions, Freeman and Moss are set to take control of his bank accounts, Manhattan apartment, luxury watches, gifts received after 9/11, and baseball memorabilia to settle the debt.
During a recent federal court hearing in Manhattan, Giuliani's primary attorney, Kenneth Caruso, appeared to be following Giuliani's directions, which were at times contradictory and futile. The judge overseeing the case, Lewis Liman, has warned of contempt sanctions if Giuliani fails to comply with court orders.
Additionally, Moss and Freeman's attorneys have alleged that a close contact of Giuliani owes a significant sum to a moving and storage company on Long Island. Efforts to access Giuliani's possessions stored in the facility have been challenging for the election workers' legal team.
Giuliani is required to hand over various possessions, including keys to his classic car, luxury watches, furniture, and sports memorabilia to Moss and Freeman by the impending deadline.