Rudy Giuliani settles with election workers, keeps Florida home

The former New York City mayor and Trump attorney agreed on Thursday to settle the $148 million judgment against him for defaming two Georgia election workers. The settlement allowed Giuliani to keep his Manhattan apartment, his Florida condo, and all his personal belongings, he said in a statement. The tentative agreement isn’t an admission of guilt, and will avoid another jury trial in the defamation case and wrap up a years-long court battle, he said. He described the entire case as unfortunate but added that he was satisfied with the final settlement terms. Both parties also agreed to never again speak negatively about each other, Giuliani added.

If he’s keeping his property and belongings, how is Giuliani paying the settlement? Giuliani’s lawyers informed the court of the private settlement in a letter Thursday but did not offer more detail on the terms of the deal. The agreement satisfies the plaintiffs’ judgment and does not include admissions of liability or wrongdoing on any parties, according to Giuliani’s statement.

The former Trump lawyer filed for bankruptcy when he was ordered to pay the million-dollar settlement for his defamation conviction. Court proceedings since then revolved around which assets Giuliani would surrender. He initially agreed to surrender his multi-million dollar New York City apartment and a Mercedes Benz once owned by the late actress Lauren Bacall, along with watches and collector sports memorabilia. Before the settlement was announced, Giuliani was due in court for a trial deciding whether his Yankees World Series rings and his Palm Beach home should be included in the asset seizure.

U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman held Giuliani in contempt last week, accusing the 80-year-old of not complying with evidence requests for several months. While on the stand, Giuliani claimed he lost several of the requested items and was working to locate them.

Dig deeper: Read my previous report on Giuliani’s contempt order issued last week.