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Former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani talks to reporters as he leaves after his defamation trial in Washington, Friday, Dec. 15, 2023 (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File).
Following a bizarre morning in which Rudy Giuliani posted a video of a dog celebrating his “favorite president” at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club instead of being in downtown Manhattan for the trial over ownership of his Florida condominium and Yankees World Series rings, attorneys for both parties announced that they had settled the case.
Through their attorneys, Giuliani and the two Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation judgment against him announced that they had reached a settlement agreement that would “fully resolve all issues currently scheduled for trial” and “result in the conclusion of all litigation currently pending between and among the Parties” — but only “once certain conditions are met.”
The filing did not specify any details as to the terms of the agreement or what conditions must be met for the protracted case to be completely resolved, but Giuliani’s recent history of disregarding court orders could portend more complications than a typical legal settlement.
Following the settlement announcement, Giuliani posted a statement in which he said that he would be keeping all of his properties and personal possessions — including the New York City apartment that had allegedly been cleared of valuable items — and agreed to no longer defame Ruby Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss.
“I have reached a resolution of the litigation with the Plaintiffs that will result in a satisfaction of the Plaintiffs’ judgment. This resolution does not involve an admission of liability or wrongdoing by any of the Parties. I am satisfied with and have no grievances relating to the result we have reached. I have been able to retain my New York coop and Florida Condominium and all of my personal belongings. No one deserves to be subjected to threats, harassment, or intimidation. This litigation has taken its toll on all parties. This whole episode was unfortunate. I and the Plaintiffs have agreed not to ever talk about each other in any defamatory manner, and I urge others to do the same.”
Giuliani’s attorney, Joseph Cammarata, spoke to reporters outside the courthouse and reiterated that Giuliani would be keeping his properties and possessions while his son, Andrew Giuliani, would take possession of the World Series rings.
Cammarata refused to speak to how Giuliani would be satisfying the debt owed to Moss and Freeman while seemingly retaining his most valuable assets.
Giuliani was to be the first witness in the trial slated to begin Thursday morning to determine if the former New York City mayor had to surrender his multimillion-dollar Florida condominium and three Yankees World Series rings to help satisfy the nine-figure judgment Freeman and Moss were awarded after Giuliani spread baseless lies about them helping to rig the 2020 presidential election.
The 80-year-old former personal attorney to Trump during his first term had claimed the Florida condo was his permanent residence, making it eligible for homestead protection under state law and thereby exempting the property from debt collection proceedings. Attorneys for the Georgia election workers disputed that claim, alleging in court documents that Giuliani treated the Florida condo as a vacation home, not a permanent residence.
Giuliani argued that the World Series rings were not his to turnover, claiming he’d gifted them to his son more than six years ago. Plaintiffs’ attorneys have argued that Giuliani’s own tax and bankruptcy filings included the rings as his property as recently as December 2023.
The settlement likely came as a relief to Giuliani, who just last week was held in contempt by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman for repeatedly flouting court orders. Liman also granted Plaintiff’s request for sanctions against Giuliani, though he has not specified what that punishment would entail.
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., last week also found Giuliani in contempt and threatened him with possible jail time for continuing to spread the same “fabricated lies” about Moss and Freeman subverting Georgia’s presidential election.
