A judge on Monday found Rudy Giuliani in contempt of court in a case brought by two Georgia election officials whom the former New York mayor falsely accused of trying to help steal the U.S. presidential election of 2020 for Democrat Joe Biden.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan said Giuliani failed to grant requests from election officials, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea Moss, for information that could help them determine which of his assets could be returned to pay the defamation judgment.
“The fact that he is a busy person who in the past relied on others is not an excuse for not complying,” Liman said.
The contempt citation in the district where Giuliani had served as the top federal prosecutor marks a new disgrace for Giuliani, once known as “America’s Mayor” for his response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The ruling follows a lawsuit Freeman and Moss filed against Giuliani in 2021. They accused Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer of destroying their reputation by lying about trying to steal the election of 2020.
Giuliani repeatedly made false claims that surveillance video showed the two men concealing and counting suitcases full of illegal ballots at a basketball arena in Atlanta that was used to process votes.
Giuliani was disbarred for making false statements about the 2020 election and has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona that he aided Trump’s failed bid to overturn his defeat.
In July 2023, Giuliani admitted to making defamatory statements about Freeman and Moss, and a judge ruled that August ruled he was liable for defamation as a penalty against him for failing to turn over documents. electronic records to the two election workers.
A Washington, D.C., jury later ordered that he pay Freeman and Moss approximately $73 million in compensation and $75 million in punishment.
Liman said Monday that he had not yet determined what punishment Giuliani would face for contempt.
But the judge also ruled that Giuliani failed to answer Moss and Freeman’s questions about a condominium he owns in Palm Beach, Florida.
Liman said he presumed Giuliani’s lack of response suggested the answers would go against him in an upcoming trial on Jan. 16 over whether he treated the condominium as his permanent residence. Freeman and Moss say Giuliani was not living there full time, meaning he could be transferred.
Lawyers for Freeman and Moss also urged Liman to hold Giuliani in contempt for ignoring his orders to give up his Manhattan apartment, title to a 1980 Mercedes and sports memorabilia. This request is still pending.
Giuliani, 80, claimed his daily life was upended by the two poll workers, making it difficult to obtain the necessary documents, and that he did not “willfully disobey” any court orders.
Giuliani’s lawyer, Joseph Cammarata, said Monday that Giuliani’s deadline to respond to election officials’ requests was tight, but that he sought to comply.
“There has been substantial compliance,” Cammarata said. “There is no challenge to the court.”
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