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NEW YORK — Rudy Giuliani will appear in a New York City courtroom on Thursday and explain to a federal judge why he hasn’t surrendered his valuables as part of a $148 million defamation verdict.

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U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman ordered the former New York mayor to report to court after attorneys for two former Georgia election workers who received large fines visited Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment last week and discovered that it had been vacated weeks earlier.

The judge had given Trump, a longtime ally of once and future President Donald Trump, until Oct. 29 to turn over most of his assets to attorneys on behalf of Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss.

His belongings include a $5 million Upper East Side apartment, a 1980 Mercedes once owned by movie star Lauren Bacall, a shirt signed by New York Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio, dozens of luxury watches and other valuables.

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The Port had originally planned a telephone conference on the situation, but changed it to a hearing in Manhattan federal court that Giuliani was required to attend after the judge learned of the visit to the former mayor’s apartment.

Election workers’ attorney Aaron Nathan wrote in a letter to the Port that the residence was already “substantially vacant” when representatives of his clients visited a moving company official to assess the transportation and storage needs of the property ordered to be given to Giuliani. surrender.

He said the group was told most of the apartment’s contents, including artwork, sports memorabilia and other valuables, had been moved about four weeks ago and some had been placed in storage on Long Island.

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Giuliani’s representatives did not respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday.

They have so far unsuccessfully argued that Giuliani should not be forced to surrender his belongings while appealing the decision.

The Port also rejected a request from Giuliani’s legal team that Thursday’s hearing be postponed until next week or held by phone as originally planned.

A Giuliani spokesman, meanwhile, called the legal wrangling an intimidation tactic.

“Opposite counsel, by acting in a negligent or intentionally deceptive manner, attempts to further bully and intimidate Mayor Giuliani until he is left penniless and homeless,” spokesman Ted Goodman said in a statement earlier this week.

Giuliani was found liable for defamation for falsely accusing Freeman and Moss of ballot fraud while pushing Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud during the 2020 campaign.

The women said they faced death threats after Giuliani accused the pair of sneaking ballots into suitcases, counting ballots multiple times and tampering with voting machines.

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