Rudy Giuliani reached a deal Thursday that lets the cash-strapped ex-New York City mayor keep his homes and belongings, including prized World Series rings, in exchange for unspecified compensation and a promise to never again speak ill of two former Georgia elections workers who won a $148 million defamation judgment against him.
The agreement resolves all pending litigation between Giuliani and the former election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss. It also led to the cancellation of a trial that was supposed to begin Thursday to decide the ownership of his Florida condominium and three World Series rings that Giuliani, a prominent New York Yankees fan, had received from the team.
Giuliani, 80, was supposed to be the trial’s first witness, but he never showed up to the federal courthouse in Manhattan.
Instead, his and the women’s lawyers were there, toiling toward a resolution. After several hours without any court action, the lawyers emerged from a side room, shook hands and congratulated each other. Giuliani’s son, Andrew, who had claimed ownership of the rings, beamed as he left the courtroom.
“Today is a good day,” the younger Giuliani told reporters afterward.
Left unanswered: How much Giuliani agreed to pay the women, how he’s footing the bill and whether anyone is helping him.
Giuliani had already begun turning over assets prior to the settlement, including his Manhattan apartment, which is worth about $5 million, a 1980 Mercedes once owned by movie star Lauren Bacall, numerous luxury watches and other belongings. His total assets are worth about $10 million.
Freeman and Moss won the massive judgment after saying Giuliani’s lies about them following President-elect Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss led to death threats.
“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,” the women said in a statement. “Today is a major milestone in our journey.”
With the agreement, they said, “we can now move forward with our lives.”
Giuliani said in a statement posted on social media and read to reporters by his lawyer that the settlement satisfies the judgment against him but “does not involve an admission of liability or wrongdoing.”
“I am satisfied with and have no grievances relating to the result we have reached,” Giuliani said, adding that it allowed him to retain his Manhattan apartment and Florida condominium, as well as all of his personal belongings.