Rudy Giuliani is still holding on to his Mercedes car and luxury watches despite a court order to hand them over, his lawyer has said.
The former New York mayor is being forced to transfer his possessions to a receivership controlled by two Georgia election workers.
In December, 2023, a Washington, D.C. jury awarded Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, more than $148 million in damages for false claims that they had added votes for Joe Biden while working in an election count center in Atlanta, Georgia in 2020.
Giuliani accused Freeman and Moss of committing election fraud as ballot counters in Fulton County, Georgia. He circulated an edited clip of security footage that he wrongly claimed showed them passing USB drives.
New York federal judge, Lewis Liman had given the former New York mayor until October 26 to transfer his $6 million apartment, his 1980 Mercedes, more than 20 luxury watches, his sports memorabilia and other possessions.
On November 6, Giuliani’s lawyer, Kenneth Caruso, informed Liman in writing that Giuliani has not transferred his property but said that lawyers for Freeman and Moss have not made any arrangements for the transfer.
Caruso wrote that his firm has instructed the plaintiffs lawyers where they can collect the watches.
“Plaintiffs have provided no instructions regarding the wristwatches and have sent no agent to collect them,” he wrote.
He said that his firm has also been unable to sign over the car because of lack of transfer documentation from the plaintiffs.
“It is, or should be, obvious that Plaintiffs cannot simply take possession of Defendant’s car without a documented transfer of title. We have yet to receive such documentation, but Defendant remains ready to sign. The car remains in Palm Beach,” he wrote.
Giuliani turned up to vote on November 5 in the Mercedes convertible and organized a press gathering afterward so that photographers could record him driving it.
Newsweek sought email comment from Giuliani’s spokesman and from Freeman and Moss’s attorney on Thursday.
Caruso wrote that he is waiting on the paperwork from an apartment cooperative so that the New York apartment can be transferred to the plaintiffs.
“This is, of course, the most valuable asset at issue. Last week, we instructed counsel for the co-op at 45 East 66th Street to transfer the shares and the proprietary lease to Plaintiffs. Counsel for the co-op requested proof that Defendant is the sole owner of this property, after his divorce. On November 4, 2024, we provided such evidence (the divorce decree and accompanying papers) to counsel for the co-op,” he wrote.
“Defendant, of course, will continue to cooperate, but we believe that the next steps are outside Defendant’s control and that Defendant is in compliance in this respect,” Caruso wrote.
Co-ops are the most common type of apartment ownership in New York. In it, those who buy an apartment are given shares in the building and the residents cooperate together to run the entire building.
Liman has ordered Giuliani to appear in court on Thursday to explain why he has not transferred these assets. He issued his order before Caruso submitted his explanatory letter.
Giuliani is expected in court with his legal team.
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