By Luc Cohen
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who served as Donald Trump's personal lawyer, heads to trial on Thursday in his bid to block two Georgia election workers he falsely accused of helping steal the 2020 presidential election for Joe Biden from seizing his condominium in Palm Beach, Florida.
The non-jury civil trial before U.S. District Judge Lewis (JO:LEWJ) Liman in Manhattan will cap off a difficult month for Giuliani, who has twice been held in contempt of court over his treatment of the workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea Moss.
Giuliani, 80, already has turned over his Manhattan apartment, a 1980 Mercedes-Benz (OTC:MBGAF) vehicle and other assets to Freeman and Moss to help pay off a $148 million judgment they won after a jury found that he defamed them.
But Giuliani contends he should be allowed to keep his Palm Beach condominium because it is now his permanent residence, an issue that the judge will have to decide in the trial. Giuliani also has said he cannot honor demands by Freeman and Moss for three New York Yankees World Series baseball championship rings because he gave them as gifts to his son Andrew.
Liman must decide what happens to the condominium and rings after the trial in the same district where the now-disbarred Giuliani served as the top federal prosecutor from 1983 to 1989.
Once praised for his response as mayor to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Giuliani's reputation has fallen into tatters.
Giuliani has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in two states for trying to overturn Biden's 2020 victory over Trump.
On Jan. 6, Liman held Giuliani in contempt for failing to comply with court orders and obstructing efforts by Freeman and Moss to determine his primary residence. Four days later, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington found him in contempt again for continuing to defame the two women.
In a 2021 lawsuit in Washington, Freeman and Moss accused Giuliani of harming their reputations by falsely claiming that surveillance video showed them concealing and counting suitcases filled with illegal ballots at an Atlanta basketball arena where election votes were processed.
Howell found Giuliani liable for defamation as a sanction after he failed to turn over electronic records to Freeman and Moss.
Jurors in Washington later found that he must pay Freeman and Moss $73 million in compensation and $75 million as punishment. The two women are trying to enforce the judgment in Manhattan while Giuliani appeals.
Giuliani previously conceded that his statements about Moss and Freeman were false and damaged their reputations. But Giuliani opposed Howell's contempt citation, saying he did not mention Freeman and Moss by name in a November podcast in which he claimed a video showed them "quadruple counting the ballots."
His lawyers have also challenged the New York contempt finding, saying Giuliani intended to provide the information that Freeman and Moss sought but the timeline was too tight.
Giuliani and his son are expected to attend the trial, which could last into Friday, with closing arguments on Tuesday.