Rudy Giuliani avoids trial by settling with Georgia election workers he defamed

CNN
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Rudy Giuliani has settled with two Georgia election workers he defamed in their quest to collect a $150 million debt, according to a lawsuit on Thursday.

Giuliani was facing a lawsuit and potentially losing the apartment in Florida where he says he lives and several New York Yankees World Series calls. He had been in a lawsuit with the women, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, over whether his $3.5 million Florida condo is his primary residence and exempt from the women’s collection efforts.

Freeman and Moss had already been awarded in court a number of Giuliani’s most valuable possessions, including his $6 million Manhattan apartment, more than a dozen luxury watches, furniture and baseball memorabilia. Still, they have struggled to collect some of the items in recent months, despite multiple court orders for Giuliani to hand over his belongings.

“The last four years have been a living nightmare. We have fought to clear our names, restore our reputation and prove 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 on with our lives. We have agreed to allow Mr. Giuliani to keep his property in exchange for compensation and his promise never to to defame us.”

Giuliani said in a post on X Thursday that he would keep all of his “personal possessions” that the Georgia election workers have pursued or won, and that he would also keep his New York City apartment and the oceanfront condo in Florida.

Giuliani, 80, has been struggling with physical health problems in recent months, he has said. He has appeared in court repeatedly for hearings and has been under oath several times in recent weeks as attorneys for the election workers and Georgia judges have repeatedly questioned him about complying with court orders.

In recent days, federal judges have held him in contempt of court twice.

Giuliani has said he plans to attend events surrounding Donald Trump’s second inauguration next week.

On Thursday morning, around the time his trial was set to take place, 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, DC over the next four years supporting his favorite President Donald J. Trump!” the post read . , which included an American flag emoji.

This story has been updated with further developments.