Rudy Giuliani held in contempt in case brought by two former Georgia election workers he defamed

CNN
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A federal judge on Monday held Rudy Giuliani in contempt for failing to turn over information to two former Georgia election workers he defamed after the 2020 presidential election, as they continue to try to collect $150 million in damages.

The sanction adds to a pile of significant consequences the former New York mayor, US attorney and Donald Trump attorney has faced in court in recent years.

It comes less than two weeks before a scheduled trial where Giuliani is trying to keep ownership of a $3.5 million Palm Beach condo he says he lives in. He was accused of failing to respond to requests for information from election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss as they prepare for the trial.

Judge Lewis Liman said Giuliani’s noncompliance was willful and accused him of “running the clock” to stall until the trial date.

The judge said he put very little weight on Giuliani’s “self-serving” testimony claiming any noncompliance was innocent.

“He has testified that he did not respond because he suspected the motives of plaintiff’s counsel. That is not an excuse for violating the court’s orders.” Liman said in court Monday.

“More important, as the Court informed the defendant, if there was reason to believe the plaintiff’s counsel misused discovery or would misuse discovery, he could raise that with the court. It was not an excuse to take the law into his own hands,” the judge added.

More than four years ago, Giuliani defamed Moss and Freeman while working for Trump after the 2020 election, when he repeatedly and falsely claimed they had switched votes to hurt Trump in Atlanta, in a state where the then-president lost the popular vote.

A jury in Washington, DC, decided a year ago that the former mayor’s statements about Moss and Freeman harmed them so much, he should owe them $150 million.

This story has been updated with additional developments.