Rudy Giuliani must pay $148 million IMMEDIATELY as judge warns ex-mayor could try to hide his assets to avoid paying Georgia election officials he has defamed
The judge overseeing the defamation case brought by two Georgian election officials against Rudy Giuliani has ordered the former mayor to pay immediately — warning he may try to hide his money to avoid paying the couple.
Giuliani, 79, was ordered to pay $148 million in damages to Ruby Moss and Shaye Moss on December 15.
His lawyers said at the time that he could not pay and petitioned the court on Tuesday to allow him to delay payment while he appeals.
On Wednesday, Judge Beryl Howell ordered Giuliani to pay up, saying there was a real risk he would try to defraud them.
“Giuliani has never denied taking steps to hide his assets from creditors and has made no promise that he will not take steps to do so,” Howell wrote.
Rudy Giuliani was spotted shopping for jewelry in Manhattan, less than a week after he was ordered to pay $148 million for defaming two Georgia election workers
Shaye Moss (left) and her mother Ruby Freeman (right) are seen outside court on December 15. On Wednesday, the judge said they should be paid immediately, warning that Giuliani could try to hide his money
Judge Beryl Howell said Giuliani could not be trusted and could try not to pay the two women.
Howell said he has been unable to “assert, let alone demonstrate by documentary or other evidence” that he cannot pay some of the money, pointing out that he owns homes in New York and Florida.
She said his claims that he has no money are “difficult to reconcile with the fact that Giuliani has a spokesperson at his disposal who accompanies him to the trial every day.”
The former New York mayor was spotted browsing around a jewelry store on Madison Avenue on Tuesday, oblivious to the enormous amounts of money he now owes.
In August, he put his three-bedroom Manhattan apartment on the market for $6.5 million; in late October he lowered the price to $6.1 million.
Giuliani's lawyers have said he will likely file for bankruptcy protection, but because the $148 million is considered an “intentional tort” that doesn't let him off the hook.
On Monday, after he accused Freeman and Moss of lying, they sued him again.
Giuliani, once known as America's mayor for his leadership after September 11, doubled down on the defamatory statements even after the second defamation suit.
He said last week's verdict was due to the “fascist system of the Biden regime.”
“They're suing me for lying to them,” Giuliani told Newsmax's Rob Schmitt on Monday night.
'I'm sorry, I can't.
“If I showed you the evidence now … people would see that what I said was absolutely true and that there is support for it.”
The outing came just one day after he was sued for a second time by Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss for spreading the same 'lies' they successfully sued him for
Giuliani doubled down on his claims in a recent interview with Newsmax, blaming last week's judgment on the “fascist system led by the Biden regime.”
The 79-year-old claimed the judge made a decision 'not based on any evidence, but based on the fact that I had not turned over certain financial documents'
Giuliani claimed the judge made the decision “not based on any evidence, but based on my failure to turn over certain financial documents.”
Despite refusing to testify in his own defense, Giuliani insisted he was not given a chance to argue his case.
He said his claims of cheating were “supportable” – despite no evidence being presented in their favor.
“I have no doubt that my comments were made and they were supportable and they remain supportable today,” Giuliani said. “I just haven't had the opportunity to present the evidence that we presented.”
He added that he did not testify because it “didn't seem like it would convince anyone.”
Giuliani appears to have an ally, former President Donald Trump, in his corner.
“I think it's so sad what happened to Rudy,” Trump told DailyMail.com during a campaign briefing in West Palm Beach.
He characterized Giuliani as a “great patriot” and “the greatest mayor in the history of New York.”
Giuliani was spotted outside his office earlier on Tuesday
The mother-daughter election duo said Giuliani's lies made them afraid to leave their homes, but the former mayor continues to argue that his claims of election cheating are “supportable.”
The total $148 million appears to be well beyond Giuliani as he faces extensive financial challenges, including several other lawsuits.
Guiliani spent the week in a federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., while a jury heard the defamation claim by Freeman and Moss, who said he turned their lives “upside down” as part of his election efforts in Georgia.
The former New York mayor claimed the duo pulled “suitcases” of ballots from under a table at Atlanta's State Farm Arena during the 2020 election — a claim that was debunked by an investigation by Georgia's secretary of state.
The mother-daughter duo said Giuliani's lies made them afraid to leave their home and unable to find work.
The jury deliberated for ten hours before returning with a unanimous verdict to award $75 million in damages and $20 million for each emotional distress, plus another $16 million to Freeman and $17 million to Moss for damage to their reputation.
The total $148 million appears to be far beyond Giuliani's budget.
Although his net worth rose to $30 million when he landed security consulting contracts after 9/11, Giuliani is is struggling to unburden his Manhattan co-op and defend himself against a sexual harassment suit brought by a former employee.
Freeman said outside court on Friday that money would “never” solve her problems.
'I can never go back to the house I call home. I will always have to be careful about where I go and who I share my name with. I miss my home. “I miss my neighbors and I miss my name,” she said.
Moss called Giuliani's lies “devastating” and added, “Our greatest wish is that no one — no election worker, no voter, no school board member, or anyone else — ever experiences anything like what we experienced.”