Judge Holds Rudy Giuliani in Contempt of Court in Defamation Case
Judge Holds Rudy Giuliani in Contempt of Court in Defamation Case
A federal magistrate in New York found Rudy Giuliani, a former lawyer for Donald Trump, in contempt of court for his failure to comply with orders to provide information about his assets to two former Georgia election workers whom he defamed.U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman made the contempt finding on Monday afternoon after Giuliani’s two-day testimony, during which he faced questions about his failure to provide assets and court-ordered discovery information to satisfy Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss’ $146 million defamation judgment against him.
Liman stated that Giuliani, the former New York mayor and U.S. attorney, “willfully violated an unambiguous court order” by neglecting to provide information when required.He claims that the defendant has tried to prolong the proceedings by stalling.According to him, “Discovery is not supposed to be a shell game where the hidden ball is moved around and around. “He stated that he would decide on “appropriate sanctions” against Giuliani later.
Giuliani testified remotely earlier in the day from his Florida residence, informing his lawyer, Joseph Cammarata, that he had tried to adhere to court orders and attributed his previous attorney’s failings to do so. Additionally, he expressed frustration with the challenges he has faced in managing his numerous court cases, including two criminal cases and two defamation suits relevant to his efforts to reverse the 2020 election results.
“Some days it is completely impossible because there are conflicting demands for material and appearances on the same day,” Giuliani indicated.He also stated that he had located several critical documents that Freeman and Moss had been anticipating, including the proprietary lease for his multimillion-dollar Manhattan apartment and the title for his Mercedes-Benz convertible.However, Freeman and Moss’ attorneys must amend the titles of both documents, which contain his divorced wife’s name, before they can use them.
Freeman and Moss had requested that the judge find Giuliani in civil contempt for neglecting to provide information and for surrendering several valuable assets, including a New York Yankees jersey autographed by Hall of Fame outfielder Joe DiMaggio, to mitigate the $146 million judgment.The pair won the sum in their defamation lawsuit against Giuliani, alleging that his dissemination of false information about Trump’s election loss in 2020 sparked a wave of racist and violent threats against them.
Their attorneys had implored Liman in a court filing to apply “appropriate sanctions” to prompt Giuliani’s compliance with court orders after repeatedly missing deadlines to turn over assets and financial data.In the previous two years, an acquaintance, Monsignor Alan Placa, claimed to have seen the framed DiMaggio jersey on property in Giuliani’s Palm Beach, Florida. Still, Giuliani denied this claim and declared it “missing” on Friday.
Giuliani stated on Monday that he is still trying to locate the garment. “I don’t know where it is, and it is hard to recreate who took it, and I am personally conducting my own investigation about this,” he said.Giuliani denied withholding additional Yankees memorabilia during his testimony in court on Friday. He stated that he was not concealing a signed image of Reggie Jackson, another Hall of Famer, which the election workers’ attorney claimed was listed as an asset in a bankruptcy document.The attorneys for Freeman and Moss have contended that Giuliani had exhibited “a consistent pattern of willful defiance of the Court’s Turnover Orders.” Freeman and Moss have cited Giuliani’s failure to surrender the proprietary lease and co-op shares to the estimated $6 million Manhattan apartment, cash in his bank account, and the title document for his Mercedes, previously owned by Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall.
Giuliani’s spokesperson, Ted Goodman, said, “It is tragic to observe our justice system transforming into a complete mockery, with charades replacing genuine hearings and trials.”Giuliani’s Florida condo and his Yankees World Series rings, which he claims to have given to his son years ago, will be the subject of a trial in the New York case on January 16.
Giuliani faces a second contempt proceeding in Washington, D.C., this week for his ongoing defamation of Freeman and Moss on his live-streamed “America’s Mayor Live” program, which violates a court-ordered agreement.
umer
