Giuliani did not show up for federal trial in Manhattan: NPR

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was not present Thursday at a federal civil trial in Manhattan aimed at determining which of his assets should be turned over to two Georgia election officials about whom he spread lies after the election. 2020.

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“No one deserves to be subjected to threats, harassment or intimidation. This litigation has had adverse consequences on all parties. This entire episode has been unfortunate. The plaintiffs and I have agreed never to speak each other in a defamatory manner, and I urge others to do the same,” Giuliani wrote.

Judge Lewis J. Liman adjourned the proceedings until next Tuesday. In court papers filed Thursday, attorneys handling the case requested a longer extension so the tentative settlement could be finalized.

Giuliani was to be the first witness in the trial, intended to determine whether he will have to give up his Florida apartment and other assets.

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

Thursday’s rapid 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 presidential election of 2020.

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

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

Earlier in the day, after he failed to show up for his scheduled court hearing, Giuliani posted a video to X of his dog, Vinnie, playing at President-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort .

“Vinny loves spending time at Mar-a-Lago,” Giuliani wrote, “but he’s ready to spend a lot more time in Washington, DC over the next four years supporting his favorite president, Donald J. Trump! “

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