Washington The second such ruling this week came Friday when a federal judge declared former Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani in contempt of court in the defamation action against him involving former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Shaye Moss.
Just days after U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman found Giuliani in contempt for not turning over financial information he was ordered to furnish, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington ruled against him for making more defamatory remarks.
Howell claimed that Giuliani “engaged in the worst kind of defamation against the mother and daughter, which resulted in them being forced from their homes and jobs due to the avalanche of death threats Giuliani touched off with his repeated false claims.”
Howell gave Giuliani ten days to provide a sworn declaration stating that he had read all of the case’s evidence, including the plaintiffs’ testimony, that he and his lawyers had a chance to attend the depositions, and that he understood and acknowledged that all of the sworn testimony in the case disproved his claims of election fraud against the two.
If he doesn’t, he will be fined $200 per day until he does. The judge stated that she could raise the penalties if he didn’t comply within 30 days. She cautioned that future infractions might result in jail time.
Ted Goodman, a Giuliani spokesman, stated that the contempt decision “is intended to keep Mayor Giuliani from exercising his constitutional rights.”
Michael Gottlieb, the two women’s lawyer, told the judge at the beginning of Friday’s hearing, “We don’t want to be here today.”
According to him, the plaintiffs’ ultimate priority is for Mr. Giuliani to cease disparaging them. He had requested that the judge impose a $20,000 punishment on Giuliani for each infraction from assets that are not accessible to his creditors, such as his IRA account, stating that he thought the amount would be “sufficiently steep.”
Despite a court-ordered agreement that he would no longer slander the ladies, Giuliani seemed to continue to allege that they committed fraud during the 2020 election in remarks on his streaming show, which prompted the contempt complaint.
Howell advised Giuliani to be aware of the impact of his words and his position.
The judge declared, “You are the most well-known individual in this courtroom at the moment, and you have a larger audience and a larger public following than anyone else in this courtroom.”
Prior to his livestream remarks in November, Giuliani had adhered to the arrangement for several months, according to Giuliani’s lawyer, Eden Quainton.
So we should overlook any further bad behavior because he was good for a few months? Howell asked.
His contention that Giuliani did not display malice in his claims on his show because he genuinely believes Moss and Freeman committed electoral fraud, even though numerous investigations by Georgia Republican officials revealed they had not, did not sway her either.
What do you mean by suggesting that this defamation will never end? He believes he is correct, so he will never stop stating this? The judge remarked, “That’s chilling.”
That was not the case, according to Quainton, who contended that the $20,000 amount for additional infractions would be “excessive.”
During his appearance on the witness stand, Giuliani discussed his financial situation and bemoaned the “army of lawyers” that Freeman and Moss employed.
Giuliani stated that Gottlieb’s claim that he currently employs nine attorneys from eight different law firms was “flatly untrue.”
The judge then inquired about the number of people in the courtroom who were employed by Giuliani, and several were named.
Before the hearing even began, Giuliani attacked the judge, claiming in a post on X that she was “making us wait all day for her inevitable highly prejudiced, usual, biased decision” and that the court was starting late.
Minutes before the hearing started, Giuliani wrote, “The hearing is a hypocritical waste of time and a disgusting example of Biden lawfare.”
Giuliani has stated that his remarks on his show were not defamatory and that discussing the case and my defense is within my First Amendment rights.
In a court filing, his lawyer contended that the comments were “vague” as he failed to name the women.
When Giuliani attempted to assist then-President Trump in overturning the 2020 election results, Freeman and Moss sued him for his allegations against them. After Giuliani disregarded numerous court requests to turn up information, Howell ruled him responsible in 2023 for defaming Freeman and Moss.
The judge lowered the jury’s $148 million damages award to $146 million. Giuliani is contesting the ruling.
Liman held Giuliani in contempt of court earlier this week for not complying with instructions to provide Freeman and Moss with information regarding his holdings.
up the course of two days, Giuliani gave testimony regarding the reasons behind his failure to turn up assets and court-ordered discovery evidence related to the $146 million judgment.
A New York Yankees jersey signed by Hall of Fame outfielder Joe DiMaggio was one valuable item he neglected to turn over, but Giuliani claimed last week that it was “missing.”
He remarked, “I am personally conducting my own investigation about this, and I don’t know where it is, and it is difficult to recreate who took it.”
Liman has not yet disclosed the terms of Giuliani’s punishment in that situation.