Election workers defamed by Rudy Giuliani want their judgment, ask court to seize property

Two election workers who secured a nearly $150 million legal victory against Rudy Giuliani are asking a Manhattan federal court Friday to order the former New York City mayor to hand over his cash accounts, jewelry, and ownership of a luxury Madison Avenue apartment.

A jury concluded in December that Giuliani should pay about $148 million to Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, after defaming them and causing them emotional distress by falsely claiming they stuffed ballot boxes in Georgia during the 2020 election. The Washington, D.C. court that presided over the case ultimately entered a judgment of about $146 million, including some adjustment to the awarded damages as well as attorneys' fees.

Since that time, Giuliani was able to halt Freeman and Moss' ability to collect by filing for bankruptcy, but later asked for that bankruptcy case to be dismissed. A New York bankruptcy court granted that dismissal request in July, enabling Giuliani to pursue his appeal against the massive judgment Freeman and Moss won, but also paving the way for the women to try to collect.

Lawyers for Freeman and Moss said in the Friday court filing that the two women are entitled to an order that will require Giuliani to hand over various property, "including cash accounts, jewelry and valuables, a legal claim for unpaid attorneys’ fees, and Mr. Giuliani’s interest in his luxury Madison Avenue co-op apartment."

In a statement to USA TODAY, Giuliani spokesperson Ted Goodman described the $148 million verdict as "objectively unreasonable" and the latest request from Freeman and Moss a step "designed to harass and intimidate" the former mayor.

"We were once a country that put a premium on free speech and the integrity of our justice system, yet we now live in a time where the justice system has been weaponized against Mayor Giuliani and so many others for strictly partisan political purposes," Goodman said.

Moss described to the jury that returned the verdict against Giuliani that his false claims forced her out of her job and made her fearful to go out alone, according to Reuters. She said she was flooded with racist messages, including threats to lynch her and her mother, who are both Black women.

On Friday, Freeman and Moss also asked to be given control over the handling of a luxury apartment in Palm Beach, Florida. They said that control will allow them to get the best value from the Florida apartment, both by preventing Giuliani from deteriorating the value and by enabling the women to use an experienced broker to appropriately market the property.

Giuliani's bankruptcy judge was critical of his failure to meet requirements to disclose his financial condition, and said the former mayor was funneling income to corporate entities. Lawyers for Freeman and Moss highlighted his behavior in the bankruptcy proceedings as they asked for the court's assistance.

"At every step, Mr. Giuliani has chosen evasion, obstruction, and outright disobedience. That strategy reaches the end of the line here," according to their Friday request.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Election workers ask court to seize Rudy Giuliani's luxury apartment