Giuliani: Dispute Is Resolved, I'm Keeping My Property

Rudy Giuliani was a no-show Thursday at a New York trial to determine whether he had to hand his Florida condominium and World Series rings over to two former election workers he defamed—but hours later, he said the dispute had been resolved without a trial. The former New York City mayor was scheduled to be the first witness at the trial in federal court in Manhattan, the AP reports. Giuliani had already been ordered to turn over his New York City apartment and personal belongings to Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who were awarded $148 million by a jury, but in a post on X, he said things had changed. He said he had "reached a resolution of the litigation with the Plaintiffs that will result in a satisfaction of the Plaintiffs' judgment."

• "I have been able to retain my New York coop and Florida Condominium and all of my personal belongings," Giuliani wrote. "No one deserves to be subjected to threats, harassment, or intimidation," he added. "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 had been "uncooperative in handing over much of the property," the New York Times notes.
• In a statement, Freeman and Moss said they had "agreed to allow Mr. Giuliani to retain his property in exchange for compensation and his promise not to ever defame us," CNN reports. "The past four years have been a living nightmare. We have fought to clear our names, restore our reputations, and prove that we did nothing wrong," they said. "Today is a major milestone in our journey."

Earlier Thursday, court was adjourned until next Tuesday, the day after President-elect Trump's inauguration, after Giuliani failed to appear. He had sought to postpone the trial, complaining that it would cause him to miss inaugural events, the Times reports. The trial had been due to start at 9am. Around 11am, Giuliani posted a video of his dog at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate on X, reports NBC News. "Vinny loves hanging out at Mar-a-Lago, 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," Giuliani wrote. (More Rudy Giuliani stories.)