According to The Hill, attorneys Kenneth Caruso and David Labkowski have filed a motion to withdraw from representing Rudy Giuliani as he faces the collection of a $146 million defamation judgment awarded to two Georgia election workers.
The lawyers cited multiple reasons for their withdrawal request, including a fundamental disagreement with their client and concerns about claims that cannot be supported in good faith. They submitted their motion to U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman, who agreed to redact certain privileged information while declining to seal the entire request.
Giuliani's spokesperson, Ted Goodman, expressed surprise at the development, stating that the former mayor had not been informed of his attorneys' decision to withdraw. The timing of this legal team shake-up comes at a crucial moment in the proceedings.
The two Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss are moving forward with efforts to collect their substantial jury award. Their legal victory stems from Giuliani's false claims about their involvement in alleged election fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
Judge Liman has ordered Giuliani to surrender significant assets, including his New York City apartment, Mercedes-Benz, luxury watches, and signed Yankees memorabilia. The former mayor's recent actions have complicated the collection process, as evidenced by his failure to surrender his vehicle by the November 11 deadline.
Giuliani took to social media platform X to express his frustration with the situation. He stated:
Wilkie Farr Law Firm is filled with a distorted left wing hate and vitriol. Judge Liman doesn't seem to know the exemptions. They have seized all my money which wasn't much. I need legal representation against these evil people. I can't buy food.
The collection process has revealed significant discrepancies between the judgment amount and Giuliani's available assets. Court filings indicate his total assets amount to approximately $10 million, far less than the $146 million judgment.
The former mayor is currently attempting to protect his Florida condo through homestead exemption while alternatively seeking to retain his New York apartment. These legal maneuvers have added another layer of complexity to the ongoing proceedings.
The election workers' legal team has raised concerns about potential asset concealment, requesting access to Giuliani's New York storage facility. They suspect he may have moved property from his apartment to avoid surrendering it.
The case has experienced additional changes in legal representation, with John Langford, one of the election workers' attorneys, also requesting withdrawal due to a career change. This development adds to the growing list of complications in the case.
These legal developments have created uncertainty about the ultimate resolution of the judgment collection process, particularly given Giuliani's limited financial resources and ongoing disputes over asset seizure.
Rudy Giuliani's legal defense has encountered a significant setback with the withdrawal request from attorneys Kenneth Caruso and David Labkowski, citing fundamental disagreements and concerns about their client's cooperation. This development occurred when the former New York City mayor faced the collection of a $146 million defamation judgment awarded to Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.
The case now enters a new phase as Judge Lewis Liman considers the attorneys' withdrawal request while overseeing the complex process of asset collection. With disputes over property exemptions and concerns about asset concealment, the resolution of this high-profile case remains uncertain, particularly given the substantial gap between the judgment amount and Giuliani's declared assets of approximately $10 million.
