Rudy Giuliani discovered himself within the sizzling seat Friday, when he was grilled about his lacking possessions — together with a $10,000 jersey signed by Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio and his grandfather’s 120-year-old gold pocket watch — as a part of a $148 million defamation verdict he nonetheless owes.
The previous politician as soon as admired as “America’s Mayor” accused opposing attorneys of asking “abusive” questions in Manhattan federal courtroom through the tense listening to to find out whether or not he ought to be held in contempt for failing to show over property.
“If there is such a thing as abusive and overbroad, this is the one you’d put in the law school textbook,” snapped the 80-year-old former private lawyer to President-elect Donald Trump.
It was the most recent in Giuliani’s authorized saga stemming from a 2023 verdict that discovered Giuliani was on the hook for $148 million for defaming Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss by falsely claiming the pair tried to steal the 2020 election from Trump.
The ladies at the moment are going after Giuliani’s possessions to fulfill the huge judgment they received.
That features 26 watches, like his grandfather’s timepiece, a Mercedes as soon as owned by actress Lauren Bacall, numerous sports activities memorabilia and his New York Metropolis condo lease.
A few of these objects, attorneys for the 2 ladies declare, have but to be turned over.
“I’m sorry, I can’t find it,” the diehard Bronx Bombers fan testified in regards to the lacking Jackson image.
“I went through a divorce, my ex-wife has some of these things. You have every piece of sports memorabilia that I can find.”
He admitted that he might have confused the Jackson piece with one that includes Derek Jeter.
“That could be,” he mentioned.
“I was blessed by the Yankees, I was blessed with a tremendous amount of memorabilia,” he added. “I get confused about what I have and what I don’t have.”
Within the courtroom, attorneys for the ladies confirmed images of DiMaggio’s famed 1951 jersey hanging above Guiliani’s fire months in the past — then lacking once they visited on Oct. 31.
In November, Giuliani’s former lawyer Kenneth Caruso instructed a decide the jersey and different objects have been in a locked storage facility in Ronkonkoma, Lengthy Island.
Together with the jersey, Giuliani’s Massive Apple abode, a number of Yankees World Collection rings are additionally on the road as property he should doubtlessly hand over.
Requested by Decide Lewis J. Liman whether or not Giuliani knew his grandfather’s more-than-a-century-old watch needed to be turned over, the previous Massive Apple mayor mentioned he positioned it in a protected field so it wouldn’t get misplaced.
“It’s the one thing that means something to me,” he mentioned.
Throughout a break within the listening to Friday, Giuliani requested courtroom sketch artist Jane Rosenberg whether or not she would make him look “nice,” mentioned Rosenberg, who was documenting the listening to for Reuters.
He criticized a drawing Rosenberg made from him in a previous continuing by scrunching his face right into a scowl.
“You made me look like my dog,” Giuliani mentioned, based on Rosenberg.
Giuliani has been disbarred for making false claims in regards to the 2020 election and pleaded not responsible to felony prices in Georgia and Arizona that he aided Trump’s failed try to overturn his loss.
With Put up wires