Former New York City mayor and Trump ally Rudy Giuliani has been found in contempt of court for failing to turn over information and assets to satisfy a defamation judgment against him. A jury found Giuliani liable for $148 million in damages after repeatedly claiming that two Georgia election workers, Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman, had engaged in election fraud during the 2020 presidential election. Moss and Freeman, who are mother and daughter, were forced to change address after suffering racist and violent threats in various forms on the basis of Giuliani’s claims.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman reached the contempt finding this afternoon, after two days of testimony from Giuliani to answer questions as to why he had not complied with court orders related to the defamation judgment against him. Freeman and Moss’ attorneys told the court last month that a large number of the items that were specifically ordered to be turned over – such as the keys to his Manhattan penthouse, the title to his vintage Mercedes convertible, and his large collection of sports memorabilia – were still unaccounted for, stating in a court filing that “it is unclear at this point even where those possessions are located.”
Giuliani, a former U.S. attorney, offered a variety of explanations for his noncompliance, even though he had previously told the court that he had turned over “everything” he was ordered. He claimed that his signed Joe DiMaggio jersey – worth nearly seven figures, by some estimates – is “missing,” and he’s investigating the matter. A close friend to Giuliani has placed the jersey in his Palm Beach residence, (where he is currently staying) within the past two years, and photographs have also placed it in his Manhattan apartment. Giuliani also admitted that he had deliberately not turned over his grandfather’s pocket watch out of a concern that it would get “lost.” More broadly, he complained that he was unable to satisfy the demands of the court due to the number of cases against him, including other defamation suits and two criminal cases involving the “fake electors” scheme to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona. “Some days it is completely impossible because there are conflicting demands for material and appearances on the same day,” he said.
After two days of testimony, judge Liman was not convinced, stating that Giuliani “willfully violated an unambiguous order of the court,” adding that his failure to turn over information and assets amounted to “stalling.” Liman likened Giuliani’s tactics to a “shell game where the hidden ball is moved around and around.” The U.S. District Judge said he would rule on “appropriate sanctions” for his finding of contempt at a later date.
Giuliani is also facing a second contempt hearing later this week in Washington D.C. for continuing to defame Moss and Freeman in defiance of a court-order agreement.
