Rudy Giuliani's divorce battle ends, but legal troubles continue for Trump lawyer
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, has reached a settlement in one of the two legal issues facing him — his acrimonious divorce, not the dealings in Ukraine that have attracted the attention of prosecutors and drawn him into the presidential impeachment spotlight.
The former New York City mayor and his third wife, Judith Nathan, agreed Tuesday to a confidential resolution that settles all disputes concerning support, assets and any other claims, Nathan's lawyer, Bernard Clair, said in an emailed statement.
"Mr. and Mrs. Giuliani intend to remain friends in the years to come, and they wish each other the best of luck in the future," Clair said.
The settlement cancels the scheduled January divorce trial in New York State Supreme Court that had been expected to reprise the couple's battles over multiple homes in Manhattan, the Hamptons and Florida, as well as country club memberships and more than $200,000 in monthly spending.
Nathan filed for divorce in April 2018, ending the couple's 15-year marriage. The proceeding quickly turned acrimonious, prompting New York City's tabloids and other media outlets to report that Giuliani ran up $900,000 in expenses during one six-month period, including more than $12,000 for his favorite cigars.
During one hearing, Nathan slapped her hand on a court table, angrily denying that she had taken everything out of one of the couple's homes after filing for divorce, The New York Times reported.
Giuliani cursed aloud in the courtroom during a proceeding when Clair mentioned Maria Rose Ryan, a New Hampshire hospital executive whom Giuliani escorted to a White House dinner, the Times reported.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Michael Katz, who presided over the divorce case, advised the couple to settle out of court and end the acrimony and embarrassing personal disclosures.
Although Katz got his wish, Giuliani's legal difficulties are not over.
He's the subject of a criminal investigation by federal prosecutors in the same office Giuliani headed as the Manhattan U.S. Attorney, before he became New York City mayor in 1993.
The investigation focuses in part on Giuliani's work with Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman. The Soviet-born business associates and legal clients helped Giuliani seek damaging information in Ukraine about the family of Joe Biden, the former U.S. vice president who is vying to challenge Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
U.S. counterintelligence investigators have been examining Giuliani's work with Parnas and Fruman at least since early 2019, USA TODAY reported in October.
Giuliani has denied any wrongdoing and said he has no information about the investigation.
Giuliani, Parnas and Fruman pushed for Trump to remove Marie Yovanovitch as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, an episode that was featured during the Trump impeachment hearings.
Separately, Parnas, Fruman and two other suspects were indicted in October on federal criminal charges of scheming to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars in foreign money to U.S. election candidates and campaign committees. All four have pleaded not guilty.
The funding included $325,000 that went to a political action committee formed to support Trump. Parnas and Fruman falsely listed the source of that money as a company they controlled, the indictment charged.
Giuliani's dealings with Parnas and Fruman pushed the three men into the congressional impeachment spotlight. Giuliani and Fruman failed to respond to congressional subpoenas to supply documents and testify about their efforts on behalf of Trump in Ukraine.
Trump has said he did not know Parnas and Fruman, even though the Giuliani associates have been shown smiling with him in White House photos. Reportedly angered by the disavowal, Parnas has signaled a willingness to provide information to House investigators if he were granted immunity from prosecution.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rudy Giuliani ends divorce fight as separate federal probe continues
