Now that a judge has dismissed the bankruptcy case and protections of a defiant Rudy Giuliani, the former attorney for Donald Trump faces the possible loss of his two pricey homes and other assets.
Giuliani's condos in New York City and Florida are together estimated to be worth some $9 million, according to court records.
A lawyer for two Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation suit against Giuliani told the New York Times they will move quickly to have liens placed on both of the homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach.
Federal Judge Sean Lane of U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on Friday dismissed Giuliani's bankruptcy case, citing his refusal to provide details about his financial situation after declaring bankruptcy last year.
In one case, the former New York City mayor was accused by creditors last month of attempting to divert income from his new coffee company to a corporate account linked to him.
Filing for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 code protected Giuliani from a wholesale raid of his assets by creditors, but it also required financial transparency. He owes $153 million to 20 people.
"Mr. Giuliani has failed to provide an accurate and complete picture of his financial affairs in the six months that this case has been pending," Lane wrote in his 22-page ruling, calling "transparency into Mr. Giuliani's finances an elusive goal."
Lane added: "Forcing creditors to wait years while they are prevented from pursuing their rights for, at best, a modest distribution seems inequitable and unwise. The interests of creditors and the estate are better served by dismissal."
Trump's long-time ally declared bankruptcy in December after he was ordered to pay $148 million in defamation damages to mother-daughter election workers Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman after he lied repeatedly that they had been involved in a massive voting fraud operation against Trump.
Giuliani also owes over $400,000 in reported legal fees, and is facing several pending lawsuits, including a $10 million sexual harassment suit from a former employee and a $1.3 billion defamation suit from Dominion Voting Systems.
His attorney has called the defamation judgement against Giuliani "grossly unfair," and characterizes it as some kind of political punishment.
Creditors have accused Giuliani of grossly inflating his hardships if forced to pay his debts.
"There is a vast gulf of housing options available between residing in an approximately $3.5 million Palm Beach condominium and homelessness," they argued in court papers.
Giuliani, who frequently speaks up to defend and hail Trump, has appealed to the former president for a $2 million payment "any number of times" for services rendered, he said in a bankruptcy case deposition in February, Newsweek reported last week.
Giuliani spent time in Ukraine during the Trump administration doing background work for Trump when the then-president pressured Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a transcribed phone call to launch a baseless investigation of expected rival Joe Biden, or face a holdup of an arms delivery passed by the U.S. Congress.
The arm-twisting triggered the first of two impeachments of Trump in office.
