Rudy Giuliani held in contempt for withholding assets from Georgia election workers

NEW YORK – A federal judge in Manhattan found Rudy Giuliani in contempt of court on Monday for failing to comply with information requests related to his assets, as he faces a $148 million defamation judgment awarded to two Georgia election workers. Judge Lewis J. Liman delivered the ruling after hearing Giuliani testify during a two-day contempt hearing. The hearing was prompted by allegations from the election workers’ lawyers that Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and personal attorney to Donald Trump, had not adhered to court orders to turn over assets or provide necessary documentation.

On Friday, Giuliani testified in Liman’s Manhattan courtroom for approximately three hours. The judge allowed Giuliani, 80, to conclude his testimony remotely on Monday from his Palm Beach, Florida, condominium. At the start of the virtual session, Giuliani appeared with an American flag backdrop, which he said he uses for his online program. The judge instructed him to change it to a plain background.

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During Monday’s testimony, Giuliani admitted to withholding certain materials, claiming some requests were overly broad, inappropriate, or designed as a ‘trap’ by the plaintiffs’ attorneys. He also cited the strain of ongoing criminal and civil cases, which he said consumed significant time and resources, making it about 30% to 40% of the time “impossible to function in an official way.”

The defamation case stems from Giuliani’s false claims that the election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, tampered with ballots during the 2020 presidential election. In 2023, Giuliani was found liable for defaming them, leading to the substantial judgment. Lawyers for Freeman and Moss accused Giuliani of exhibiting a “consistent pattern of willful defiance” of Liman’s October order to liquidate assets to satisfy the judgment. While Giuliani has surrendered some property, including a Mercedes-Benz and his Manhattan apartment, their attorneys argue he has not provided necessary paperwork to monetize those assets.

Additionally, they say Giuliani failed to turn over items such as sports memorabilia, including a Joe DiMaggio jersey, as well as watches. “Not a single dollar” has been transferred from Giuliani’s nonexempt cash accounts, the lawyers claimed in court filings. Giuliani testified that he is investigating the whereabouts of the DiMaggio jersey and does not currently know its location.

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Aaron Nathan, an attorney for the election workers, urged the court to infer from Giuliani’s incomplete disclosures that his Palm Beach condominium is not his primary residence. Such a finding would make the property eligible for seizure to satisfy the judgment. Giuliani’s attorney, Joseph Cammarata, argued against such inferences, describing them as akin to a civil “death penalty” that would unjustly strip Giuliani of his Florida residence before a mid-January trial. That trial will determine the final disposition of the condominium and other assets, including Giuliani’s World Series rings.

Giuliani maintains that the Palm Beach property is his primary residence and should be protected from the judgment. His legal team has expressed confidence that an appeal will ultimately secure his ownership of the disputed items.