Rudy Giuliani, the man once known as “America’s Mayor,” is fighting to keep some of his prized possessions in the wake of a $148 million defamation judgment against him. Those possessions include four World Series rings given to the former mayor of New York by the Yankees after the team won championships in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000.
In sworn testimony made public this week, Giuliani says he shouldn’t have to surrender the rings. He says they are a family heirloom and now belong to his son, Andrew. The lifelong Yankees fan testified that when Yankees owner George Steinbrenner gave him the rings in 2002, he insisted on paying for them and told Steinbrenner, “These are for Andrew.”
Two Georgia election workers brought the defamation case against Giuliani. They sued him in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss. Giuliani was found liable in the case. He conceded in court documents that he falsely accused the women of fraud, but upon leaving the courtroom on Dec. 16, he called the judgment “absurd” and vowed to appeal.
On Friday, Jan. 3, Giuliani will be in federal court for a contempt hearing for allegedly failing to turn over assets promptly. On Jan. 16, a judge will decide what happens to the World Series rings and Giuliani’s condo in Palm Beach, Florida, which he claims is his primary residence.
The former mayor is also facing criminal charges in Georgia. There, he’s accused of participating in a wide-ranging conspiracy to thwart the will of the state’s voters, who had selected Democrat Joe Biden over the Republican incumbent in 2020. He faces 13 charges, including violations of Georgia’s anti-racketeering law.
