CNN —
The fate of Rudy Giuliani’s primary residence, a $3.5 million condo in Palm Beach, Florida, is now in the hands of a federal judge in Manhattan.
The former New York City mayor and prominent political defender of Donald Trump is currently staying in a Palm Beach condominium where a judge will decide whether creditors can foreclose on it. During that time, Judge Lewis Lehman said, any activity that might undermine its value is prohibited. Monday’s court hearing.
The development of Mr. Giuliani’s debt dispute comes as two Georgia election officials have filed a lawsuit against Mr. Giuliani in court for defaming Mr. Giuliani after the 2020 election when he was acting as Mr. Trump’s lawyer. This incident occurred while he was being pursued in court. Ruby Freeman and Shay Moss are one day away from taking control of Giuliani’s collection of prized possessions and his $6 million Manhattan apartment, the only other property he owns.
Aaron Nathan, a lawyer for Mr. Freeman and Mr. Moss, said in court Monday that “preparations are underway” for how his team will access the New York apartment. Approximately 24 luxury watches. Gifts Giuliani received after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Baseball memorabilia, including an autographed Joe DiMaggio jersey. There are also valuables such as a Mercedes Benz that once belonged to Lauren Bacall.
Mr. Freeman and Mr. Moss are believed to be looking to sell their apartments and other properties to pay off some of their $150 million debt, according to court records.
A week after a judge ordered the surrender of valuables, Giuliani’s lawyers provided few answers during a court hearing. The hearing was held in front of Mr. Liman on the 15th floor of the courthouse, which was built when Mr. Giuliani was mayor, and a photo of him at the building’s dedication is displayed in the marble lobby.
Mr. Giuliani’s lawyer, Kenneth Caruso, did not say in court when Mr. Giuliani made a Palm Beach condominium his primary residence rather than New York.
Where Mr. Giuliani primarily lived is a key issue that judges are likely to decide in the coming weeks, with the court arguing that Mr. Giuliani was not properly settled in his home by the end of this summer. Mr. Giuliani would then lose his condo.
“You better get him to answer the question right now. If what he’s saying is true, that’s probably the answer he knows,” Nathan told the judge on Monday, adding that Giuliani was in Florida I asked for an immediate answer regarding the date of the move. Nathan said the team’s Palm Beach condo is primarily a vacation home, and Giuliani spends less than half of his summers there, instead spending most of his time in New Hampshire, traveling to New York, the Republican National Convention and the Summer Olympics in Paris. He was said to have lived in the state.
“Let me put a marker on the human way of life,” Caruso said in court about Giuliani’s home office. “Such major decisions are made over time.”
After the hearing, Caruso told CNN that Giuliani’s “first step” in relocating was when he put his Manhattan apartment up for sale at Sotheby’s in July 2023.
The New York Yankees’ four World Series rings are also part of Freeman and Moss’ legal battle to recover debt. Mr Giuliani’s son, Andrew, told the court his father gave him the ring at his 74th birthday party in 2018. But in court, lawyers for Mr. Freeman and Mr. Moss told the judge that they had tried unsuccessfully for months to access Mr. Giuliani’s tax returns. It should have declared the gift of rings worth tens of thousands each.
Mr. Giuliani did not attend the court hearing. A day after speaking at President Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden, his lawyer told CNN he did not know whether the former mayor was still in New York.
At the rally, Giuliani alluded to conspiracy theories surrounding this summer’s assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, but did not mention court issues or his long-repeated belief that the 2020 election was stolen. There wasn’t.
“I don’t conspire, I don’t intend to conspire, but it’s kind of funny that they tried everything and now they’re trying to kill him. I won’t try again. It’s better,” Giuliani said.
A court order prohibits him from repeating false information about Freeman and Moss or suggesting that Georgia votes were tampered with in the last election.
