A federal judge in New York on Monday found Rudy Giuliani in contempt for failing to comply with asset disclosure requests tied to a $148 million defamation judgment won by two Georgia election workers.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman issued the ruling after hearing Giuliani testify during a contempt hearing. Lawyers for Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss argued Giuliani had failed to properly respond to requests for information about his assets, hindering their ability to collect the judgment.
“The defendant willfully violated an unambiguous order of the court,” Liman said, reading his ruling from the bench. It is not immediately clear how the court will apply any sort of punishment to the former mayor of New York City, who also served as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Freeman and Moss sued Giuliani in 2021, accusing him of defaming them by falsely claiming they helped rig the 2020 presidential election for then-candidate Joe Biden. Giuliani made repeated false claims that video footage showed them counting fraudulent ballots in Atlanta.
A representative for Giuliani, Ted Goodman, told the Washington Examiner the ruling is “tragic” and condemned the legal community for not being “willing to speak up or do anything about the weaponization of our justice system.”
Goodman claimed the defamation suit would not exist if it were not for a “vendetta” against Giuliani by President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, pointing to Freeman’s hiring the first son’s ex-law partner Michael Gottlieb to head up the case against him.
“Why is Willkie, Farr & Gallagher pouring so many resources, and using so many lawyers on this case to try and destroy Mayor Rudy Giuliani?” Goodman asked. “It appears that they are a part of this ongoing politically motivated vendetta against Mayor Giuliani.”
The contempt ruling marks another setback for Giuliani, 80, who has faced multiple legal challenges. In July, Giuliani admitted he made defamatory statements about the workers. A judge later held him liable for defamation for failing to produce electronic records. A jury awarded Freeman and Moss $148 million in damages.
During testimony, Giuliani admitted to withholding some requested information but contended the demands made of him were overly broad or part of a “trap” by opposing lawyers, according to the Associated Press.
He also cited difficulties complying due to other legal battles. His new lawyer, Joseph Cammarata, argued Giuliani made substantial efforts to comply toward the end of Monday’s hearing.
“I respectfully submit to the court to not hold the defendant in contempt, to sanction the defendant for any lack of production, of discovery responses, because documents were produced, interrogatories were answered, and dozens of items in response the documents were turned over to plaintiff,” Cammarata said.
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Lawyers for Freeman and Moss had urged the judge to hold him in contempt for ignoring his orders to give up his Manhattan apartment as well as a Palm Beach, Florida condominium, among other items.
Giuliani’s efforts to retain the Florida property as well as claims that the election workers are not entitled to his World Series rings because they were lent to his son, Andrew, will be hashed out in a trial on Jan. 16.
