A judge has found Rudy Giuliani to be in civil contempt of court in a case brought by two Georgia election workers who accused him of falsely accusing them of trying to help steal the 2020 U.S. presidential election. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan ruled that Giuliani had not complied with requests from Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea Moss for information that could help them determine which of his assets may be turned over to pay off a defamation judgment.
Giuliani was found liable for defamation in August and was ordered to pay Freeman and Moss roughly $73 million in compensation and $75 million as punishment. The contempt citation marks a further fall from grace for Giuliani, who was once known as “America’s Mayor” for his response to the 9/11 attacks.
The ruling stems from a lawsuit Freeman and Moss brought against Giuliani in 2021, accusing him of destroying their reputations by lying that they tried to help steal the 2020 election. Giuliani made repeated false claims that a surveillance video showed the pair concealing and counting suitcases filled with illegal ballots at a basketball arena in Atlanta.
Giuliani has been disbarred for making false claims about the 2020 election and has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona that he aided Trump’s failed attempt to overturn his loss. Liman said he had not yet determined the punishment Giuliani would face for contempt, but ruled that Giuliani had not responded to questions from Moss and Freeman about a Palm Beach, Florida, condominium he owns.
Giuliani’s lawyer, Joseph Cammarata, said that the time frame for Giuliani to respond to the election workers’ demands was tight but that he sought to comply. “There’s been substantial compliance,” Cammarata said. “There is no defiance to the court.”
