Rudy Giuliani is ready to be again in court docket Thursday for a trial to find out possession of a few of his most useful property: a Florida apartment and New York Yankees World Series rings.
The former Trump lawyer would be the first witness known as in federal court docket in New York, marking the third time he could have testified under oath prior to now two weeks.
Attorneys for Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss — the previous Georgia election staff Giuliani defamed — need the apartment and the rings turned over to assist fulfill the $146 million judgment towards him.
Giuliani’s legal professional Joseph Cammarata mentioned in court docket filings that the Florida house cannot be taken as a result of it has protected standing beneath a state regulation and that the rings not belong to Giuliani as a result of he gifted them to his son, Andrew Giuliani, years in the past.
Andrew Giuliani has argued in a court docket submitting that the rings are his property.
“[O]n or earlier than May 26, 2018, Mayor Giuliani gifted to his son, Andrew Giuliani, 4 New York Yankees World Series rings — one for every of the Yankees’ titles in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000, and every engraved with the title ‘Giuliani’ — which had been bought by Mayor Giuliani after he had completed his second time period as New York City Mayor in or round 2002,” his submitting mentioned.
Lawyers for Freeman and Moss are skeptical of Andrew Giuliani’s account; they’re in search of three of the 4 rings.
Rudy Giuliani, a Yankees superfan, listed the rings as his property in his chapter case final yr, and so they had been in his possession till at the very least 2023, the attorneys for Freeman and Moss famous.
While Giuliani was “a meticulous reporter of presents to the IRS,” he by no means famous the present on his tax returns, they added.
At his deposition final month, Giuliani testified that he had given the rings to his son however forgot that he had carried out so. “I bear in mind speaking in regards to the rings and him telling me—and reminding me that I gave them to him,” Giuliani mentioned, based on the submitting.
Andrew Giuliani mentioned he reminded his father and his father’s chapter legal professional that the rings belonged to him final January. But his father was nonetheless claiming them as his property a month later, based on the submitting by Freeman and Moss.
The attorneys additionally famous that Andrew Giuliani acknowledged that his father did not bodily give him the rings till someday in 2023 — about 5 years after they had been allegedly gifted, whereas Giuliani was dealing with quite a few lawsuits, together with Freeman and Moss’.
“Even if it had been disputed, Defendant’s possession is well-documented. Defendant has been photographed all through this time interval sporting the World Series Rings,” their submitting mentioned.
Giuliani was discovered responsible for defaming Freeman and Moss by repeatedly accusing them — falsely — of committing election fraud in 2020. A jury awarded them $148 million in damages in December 2023. A decide later diminished the award to $146 million.
Giuliani is interesting that verdict, however Freeman and Moss have moved to grab his property whereas the case is litigated. He has already been ordered to show over money, his automotive, his multimillion-dollar New York condo and other sports memorabilia.
Giuliani contends that Freeman and Moss aren’t entitled to his Florida house, which he mentioned he made his everlasting residence final January.
Freeman and Moss’ attorneys are skeptical of that, as effectively. They famous that Giuliani listed his New York condo as his major residence in a chapter submitting in March and that in August he utilized for a checking account at a New Hampshire credit score union, checking a field that mentioned: “reside or work in NH.”
They contend Giuliani was utilizing the Florida apartment the way in which he had for years — as a winter house — till Freeman and Moss slapped a lien on the property on Aug. 8.
“Mr. Giuliani’s personal proof on this case exhibits that he spent roughly the identical period of time on the Palm Beach Condo within the first half of 2024 as in prior years: roughly 4 months,” their submitting mentioned.
Cammarata has countered that Giuliani obtained “a homestead tax exemption from the Palm Beach County Tax Assessor” final yr and in addition registered to vote and acquired a driver’s license in Florida.
“Under Florida regulation and the Florida Constitution, there isn’t any necessary variety of days that Defendant needed to truly sleep in his Florida Condominium Unit,” he wrote.
The non-jury trial earlier than U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman is anticipated to take one or two days, with closing arguments scheduled for Tuesday.
