Giuliani fails to appear for federal civil trial, says case has been settled

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was a no-show on Thursday for a federal civil trial in Manhattan meant to determine which of his assets must be turned over to two Georgia election workers he spread lies about following the 2020 election.

Posting on the social media site X, Giuliani said he had reached “a resolution of the litigation with the plaintiffs” that would allow him to retain ownership of properties in Florida and New York along with other “personal belongings.”

“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,” Giuliani wrote.

Judge Lewis J. Liman adjourned the proceeding until next Tuesday. In court documents filed Thursday, attorneys in the case asked for a longer extension so the tentative settlement could be finalized.

Giuliani had been scheduled to be the first witness in the trial, designed to determine whether he will have to forfeit his Florida condo along with other assets.

Giuliani’s legal team had argued the property is his primary residence and should be exempt.

Thursday’s rapid-fire developments came after Giuliani was ordered in December 2024 to pay $148 million to two former Georgia women in a case linked to efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, said election conspiracies spread by Giuliani and Trump turned their lives upside down. Both were election workers in 2020.

“I was afraid for my life,” Moss said during testimony. “I literally felt that someone would attempt to hang me and there was nothing anyone could do about it.”

Earlier in the day, while failing to appear at the scheduled court hearing, Giuliani posted on X a video of his dog, Vinnie, playing at President-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort.

“Vinny loves hanging out at Mar-a-Lago,” Giuliani wrote, “but he’s ready to spend a lot more time in Washington, D.C. over the course of the next four years in support of his favorite President—Donald J. Trump!”

Earlier this month, Giuliani was held in contempt of court after Judge Liman ruled the former New York City mayor failed to properly respond to requests for information about his assets over a period of months.