Rudy Giuliani’s son is trying to save his dad’s Yankees World Series rings from being used to settle the $148 million defamation judgment against the former Big Apple mayor.
Andrew Giuliani says three of the four rings — from the Yankees’ 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 wins — were gifted to him by his dad and therefore shouldn’t be turned over to the two Georgia poll workers seeking to collect on the massive 2023 judgment, according to court papers.
Plaintiffs Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss — who won their case accusing Rudy of defaming them when he said they were trying to cheat former President Donald Trump out of the 2020 election — want the ex-mayor “to turn over certain property,” including the rings.
But in the Manhattan federal court filing Tuesday, Andrew’s lawyers argued that: “An order requiring transfer of these rings to Plaintiffs would permanently deprive Andrew of his ownership in them.”
Manhattan federal Judge Lewis Liman granted Andrew permission Wednesday to intervene in the case so he can stake his claim on the rings.
Andrew, 38, claims his dad gave him the treasured ring on the night of his 74th birthday celebration in May 2018.
“I told you when I got these that they would be yours someday, and I want to give them to you now,” he recounted Rudy telling him in a court declaration.
Andrew explained how dear the rings are to him, noting that, “As a child and a young adult, I had spent many nights with my father watching Yankees games and bonding over our love for the team, and I was excited about receiving the rings,” the filing says.
He included with the court papers a photo of himself, his dad and his wife holding the rings displayed inside wooden boxes the night they were given to him.
“My understanding then and today is that these four World Series rings were a gift from my father and that they have belonged to me since May 26, 2018,” the filing claims.
The late comedian Chris Farley actually spoofed 7-year-old Andrew in an “SNL” skit called “Opening Night Yankee Stadium” in which he acts obnoxiously at the game he attended with his dad.
The sketch was inspired by a young Andrew upstaging his dad at the elder Giuliani’s 1994 inaugural mayoral speech by blowing kisses at television cameras, making faces and yelling.
The incident made headlines and sparked an earlier “SNL” bit by Farley.
Andrew has said he found the spoofs of his childhood self “hysterical.”
Freeman and Moss — who are mother and daughter respectively — are also targeting other possessions of Rudy’s to help settled their judgment, including multiple properties, dozens of luxury watches and a Mercedes-Benz.
But they successfully asked for the judge to order Rudy to take his Manhattan condo off the market after the embattled former mayor slashed the listing by nearly $1 million.
The duo claimed it was “value-destroying conduct” that would potentially substantially lower what they would receive from Rudy’s “most valuable single asset,” according to a Law & Crime report.