Rudy Giuliani Settles With Georgia Women Who Won $148 Million Defamation Judgement Against Him

NEW YORK — Rudy Giuliani reached a deal Thursday with two Georgia women who won a $148 million defamation verdict against him that allows him to keep all of his property in exchange for a payment of unknown size — plus a promise to never again defame them.

The settlement saves Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, from the brink of losing both of his homes, as well as countless other pieces of valuable property. The women, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, have spent months in court seeking to force Giuliani to turn over his possessions to them to help satisfy the massive judgment.

Freeman and Moss, who are former election workers in Georgia, won the defamation judgment in 2023 when a jury found that Giuliani falsely accused them of election fraud after the 2020 election. The women, who are mother and daughter, said in a statement they had agreed “to allow Mr. Giuliani to retain his property in exchange for compensation.”

“The past four years have been a living nightmare,” Freeman and Moss said. “We have fought to clear our names, restore our reputations, and prove that we did nothing wrong. Today is a major milestone in our journey. We have reached an agreement and we can now move forward with our lives.”

In a court filing, lawyers for the women and Giuliani said the settlement “would result in the conclusion of all litigation currently pending between and among the Parties.”

The amount of the compensation was not disclosed. In remarks to reporters outside Manhattan federal court Thursday, a lawyer for Giuliani, Joseph Cammarata, declined to say whether a third party was funding the payment, saying he wouldn’t discuss the “material terms” of the agreement.

Cammarata said the settlement allows Giuliani to keep his Upper East Side apartment and his condo in Palm Beach, Florida, as well as “all his personal belongings.” Those belongings include property a judge already ordered Giuliani to turn over to the women, including watches, a ring, sports memorabilia and a vintage Mercedes-Benz convertible.

In a statement posted to social media, Giuliani said: “I am satisfied with and have no grievances relating to the result we have reached.”

He added: “No one deserves to be subjected to threats, harassment, or intimidation. This litigation has taken its toll on all parties. This whole episode was unfortunate. I and the Plaintiffs have agreed not to ever talk about each other in any defamatory manner, and I urge others to do the same.”

The announcement of the settlement came five hours after Giuliani was set to start a trial over whether he could shield his Florida condo from being seized by creditors and whether he had given World Series rings to his son, a step that might have also made them off-limits.

Giuliani appeared poised to lose the Palm Beach property in the trial, particularly after U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman found him in civil contempt of court twice and, as punishment, declared that Giuliani would be barred from presenting the central legal defense that could have helped him retain the condo.