Rudy Giuliani Fights to Keep Hollywood Star’s Car As He’s Stripped Of Assets

Rudy Giuliani is fighting to keep a car once owned by Hollywood star Lauren Bacall from being sold to help pay for his $148 million defamation case.
In his latest court filing, the former New York mayor says the 1980 Mercedes-Benz SL500 should be considered a collectible and outside the reach of Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, a mother and daughter he wrongly accused of rigging the 2024 presidential election.
“Some of the property can be characterized as “collectibles.” This subcategory includes, for example, sports memorabilia, as well as a 1980 Mercedes automobile, previously owned by Lauren Bacall. Again, sports memorabilia and a classic car can be priced and sold, but restitution in money would not make Defendant truly whole.”
“Truly whole” in the legal sense means that a court should allow someone their full economic rights.
It was used in the influential Zapata Hermanos case in 2001, in which the court noted that the United States “is in the minority of jurisdictions that do not make prevailing parties truly whole by saddling the adversaries with the winners’ legal expenses.”
In the latest filing on Tuesday, Giuliani’s lawyer, Kenneth Caruso, stated that Giuliani did not want some of his personal property to be sold off to pay his defamation debt, at least until he has had an opportunity to appeal the case.
“Defendant asks the Court to couple a turnover/receivership order with an order that a receiver hold the property at issue, but not sell it until after the D.C. Circuit rules on Defendant’s expedited appeal,” Caruso wrote.
Giuliani previously told a bankruptcy court that he is emotionally attached to the Mercedes.
“It makes me feel like I’m Humphrey Bogart,” Giuliani said, referring to Lauren Bacall’s husband and co-star.
He told the court he paid $20,000 for it. I don’t know what it’s worth, but I figured I’d make it $5,000 more than I paid for it,” he said.
Bacall and Bogart were keen car collectors and they each owned a 1950 Jaguar XK120 Alloy Roadster.
Giuliani is now out of bankruptcy and a separate Manhattan federal court is considering which of his assets he should sell to pay the $148 million he owes the Georgia election workers.
It was while acting as Donald Trump’s attorney that Giuliani wrongly claimed that Freeman and Moss could be seen on CCTV adding ballots for Joe Biden at an Atlanta count center.
They sued for defamation and a Washington, D.C., jury awarded them $148 million in December 2023.
They are now seeking to claim that money from Giuliani.
Newsweek sought email comment from Freeman and Moss’ attorney on Thursday.
Caruso stated that Giuliani did not want personal property to be sold off to pay Moss and Freeman.
“Plaintiffs identify, for example, a great many wristwatches. Plaintiffs’ list, however, includes, for example, a watch gifted to Defendant by the President of France, for Defendant’s unprecedented public service response to the 9/11 attacks. The list also includes a watch similarly gifted to Defendant by the President of Italy,” Caruso’s filing notes.