Rudy Giuliani avoids trial by settling with Georgia election workers he defamed
By Nicki Brown and Katelyn Polantz
(CNN) — Rudy Giuliani has reached a settlement with two Georgia election workers that he defamed on their pursuit to collect on a $150 million debt, according to a court filing on Thursday.
Giuliani was about to face trial and potentially lose the Florida condo in which he says he lives and several New York Yankees World Series rings. He had been in litigation with the women, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, over whether his $3.5 million Florida condo is his primary residence and can be exempt from the women’s debt collection efforts.
Freeman and Moss had already been awarded in court a slew of Giuliani’s most valuable possessions, including his $6 million Manhattan apartment, more than a dozen luxury watches, furniture and baseball memorabilia. Yet they have struggled to collect some of the items in recent months, despite multiple court orders for Giuliani to turn over his possessions.
“The past four years have been a living nightmare. We have fought to clear our names, restore our reputations, and prove that we did nothing wrong,” Freeman and Moss said in a statement. “Today is a major milestone in our journey. We have reached an agreement and we can now move forward with our lives. We have agreed to allow Mr. Giuliani to retain his property in exchange for compensation and his promise not to ever defame us.”
Giuliani said in a post on X on Thursday that he would be keeping all of his “personal belongings” the Georgia election workers have pursued or won, and that he would also keep his New York City apartment and Florida oceanside condo.
Giuliani, 80, has been struggling with physical health issues in recent months, he has said. He’s shown up to court repeatedly for hearings and been placed under oath several times in recent weeks, as the Georgia election workers’ lawyers and judges have questioned him repeatedly about following court orders.
In recent days, federal judges held him in contempt of court twice.
Giuliani has said he plans to attend events around Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration next week.
On Thursday morning, at the time his trial was to be going on, Giuliani posted a video on X of a small dog wearing a tie next to a fountain at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club. The song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” plays in the video clip.
“Vinny loves hanging out at Mar-a-Lago, but he’s ready to spend a lot more time in Washington, D.C. Over the course of the next four years in support of his favorite President-Donald J. Trump!,” said the post, which included an American flag emoji.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
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