Former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani speaks during a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Washington, Dec. 15, 2023 (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana).
Rudy Giuliani has replaced his lawyers in the case where many of his assets are being liquidated to satisfy a massive default judgment won by two defamed Georgia election workers.
In a letter motion submitted late Friday, the former New York City mayor’s new attorney, Joseph M. Cammarata, announced his hiring — along with several additional developments in the case.
Cammarata was a swift addition to Giuliani’s legal team.
As Law&Crime previously reported, former lead attorney, Kenneth Caruso, and co-counsel, David Labkowski, on Wednesday filed a motion to withdraw — without mentioning their intent to quit beforehand and seemingly catching their client by surprise.
“Mayor Giuliani has not been informed by Mr. Caruso of this action,” Ted Goodman, Giuliani’s spokesperson, said in a statement provided to The Hill after the move. “Surely Mr. Caruso would talk to the mayor, or at the very least inform him of such a decision.”
Caruso and Labkowski initially sought to file the motion to withdraw under seal. That effort to maintain close to absolute secrecy was nixed by U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman — though the court did allow portions of the motion involving privileged information to be redacted.
On Thursday, Liman issued an order giving Giuliani some leeway should he choose to oppose his lawyers jumping ship.
The former federal prosecutor opted not to fight the quitting.
“This is to inform you that we have filed a substitution of attorneys in this case, wherein we are substituting in and Kenneth Caruso and David Labowski will no longer be representing Defendant Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani in this action,” Cammarata’s letter reads.
With the representation issue quickly resolved, the majority of the letter deals with how Giuliani has, will, and will not provide certain pieces of personal property — and cash accounts — to Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea ArShaye “Shaye” Moss.
Recall, in late October, Liman ordered Giuliani to transfer control of his Manhattan apartment, valuables, and cash accounts.
Earlier this month, he was hauled into court after the plaintiffs complained he was taking efforts to not surrender the property — particularly a 1980 Mercedes-Benz SL500.
Freeman and Moss complained in a motion that Giuliani had “secreted away” all of the valuable items out of his Manhattan apartment in the weeks before he was required to turn over control of the residence and several identified pieces of personal property.
Giuliani, for his part, rebuffed the claims — in-court and out of court.
“My apartment was filled with belongings and they just lied,” he said on his way into the building in response to a series of questions by New York City-based Fox flagship WNYW reporter Linda Schmidt. “All the things that were appropriate were there. And the apartment was pretty full with things. So, they’re lying completely.”
The defendant went on to say there were several pieces of furniture left inside “every room” of his former residence.
“Every bit of property that they want is available if they are entitled to it,” Giuliani continued. “Now, the law says they’re not entitled to a lot of them. For example, they want my grandfather’s watch, which is 150 years old. That’s a bit of an heirloom. Usually you don’t get those — unless you’re involved in a political persecution. In fact, having me here today is like a political persecution.”
At the end of those tense proceedings, Liman directed Giuliani to turn over the Mercedes by Nov. 11.
In the Friday motion, Cammarata said the classic car had been surrendered to the defamed election workers.
“The Mercedes Benz automobile was delivered as requested by Plaintiff’s counsel this morning,” the filing reads.
Still, Giuliani is maintaining claims on some personal property, according to his new lawyer — availing himself of a civil practice rule in New York State that exempts some personal property from money judgments.
From the letter motion, at length:
[T]he following personal property is exempt from turnover: all wearing apparel, household furniture, one refrigerator, one radio receiver, one television set, one computer and associated equipment, one cellphone, crockery, tableware and cooking utensils necessary for the judgment debtor. The Court’s overbroad turnover order contained items including wearing apparel (Joe DiMaggio shirt) and household furniture that is to be turned over to Plaintiff. Inasmuch as the cooperative apartment in New York City has been turned over to Plaintiff, and the refrigerator, household furniture were located therein, those items must be returned to Defendant; It would be wholly improper for the Court to allow the Plaintiff to have received exempted assets of Defendant.
In December 2023, Freeman and Moss won a $148 million default defamation verdict over a campaign against the women in which Giuliani falsely proclaimed the pair were engaged in fraud and had “cheated” voters during the 2020 presidential election.
The pair have since been engaged in various forms of litigation to avail their monetary interests against the onetime federal prosecutor — including legal filings in both bankruptcy courts and district courts. They also recently sued him, again, for defamation.
Correction: A previous version of this article identified Cammarata as one of the attorneys who previously represented Paula Jones. The Joseph M. Cammarata representing Giuliani did not represent Paula Jones. Joseph Cammarata with Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata and Seigel was one of the attorneys representing Jones in that case. Law&Crime regrets the error.
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