Rudy Giuliani has been found in contempt of court after repeatedly disregarding court orders and missing deadlines in a defamation case filed by two election workers.
These workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, are seeking to recover the millions of dollars Giuliani owes due to his false claims about them following the 2020 election.
A two-day hearing in federal court in Manhattan examined whether Giuliani willfully avoided discovery requests and ignored questions about his properties in a long-running legal dispute over his assets.
Giuliani was accused of showing a “blithe disregard” for document requests, including providing minimal details about his financial and legal affairs. Judge Lewis Liman criticized Giuliani for offering meritless excuses for his noncompliance and failing to meet deadlines, ultimately violating court orders intentionally. The judge noted that these actions likely meant Giuliani’s claim to a Florida residence was questionable.
In response, Giuliani claimed that he had done his best to comply but struggled to find some documents, citing issues with technical skills and concerns over the documents being used against him in other cases. He also testified about the challenges he faced managing multiple ongoing legal matters, including defamation lawsuits.
Giuliani has been under scrutiny for not providing several personal assets, including a gold pocketwatch and a signed Yankees jersey, despite being ordered to do so. His attorneys admitted he had failed to deliver the items and clarified that some may have been moved or lost.
The defamation suit stems from Giuliani’s baseless claims about Freeman and Moss, accusing them of election fraud in Georgia, which led to harassment and abuse. In December 2023, a jury awarded the women $148 million in damages.
Giuliani has also been involved in a bankruptcy case to protect his assets from creditors, though it was dismissed to allow lawsuits against him to proceed.
He faces another contempt hearing on January 10 for violating a separate court order in Washington.
