Rudy Giuliani was held in contempt of court on Monday, facing accusations of attempting to delay payment of his $148 million defamation verdict, which could potentially lead to the loss of his $3.5 million Florida condominium.
Manhattan federal court Judge Lewis Liman found the former mayor of New York in contempt on two separate occasions for missing deadlines and failing to submit crucial information ahead of a January 16 trial, which will determine whether he must forfeit his Florida property and his coveted Yankees World Series rings.
The hefty financial judgment stems from Giuliani’s false claims that Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss were involved in an attempt to rig the 2020 presidential election in favor of then-President-elect Donald Trump.
The 80-year-old ex-U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York contends that the women should not be entitled to seize his Palm Beach, Florida, residence as part of their efforts to collect the large judgment, as it serves as his primary home.
However, Giuliani failed to provide, by the December 20 deadline, a critical piece of evidence — a list of his “professional service providers,” including doctors and financial advisors, along with their addresses, according to Judge Liman.
Additionally, Giuliani did not comply with a court order requiring him to produce text messages and emails pertaining to his “travel or whether Florida was his homestead,” the judge noted.
Liman criticized Giuliani, stating, “The defendant willfully violated a clear and unambiguous order of the court,” as he delivered his ruling in Manhattan federal court.
Although courts have the authority to impose fines or even order jail time for those in contempt, the judge refrained from taking such drastic measures on Monday.
Instead, Liman stated that during the upcoming trial, he would assume that the list of Giuliani’s service providers would reveal that “none of them” were located in Florida, a potentially significant blow to his defense of keeping his Palm Beach condo.
This decision follows the judge’s skepticism of Giuliani’s testimony over two days, Friday and earlier Monday, in which he claimed to have “done his best” to comply with the court’s discovery requirements, which mandate timely submission of information.
“The court puts very little weight on that self-serving testimony,” Liman remarked.
The court has yet to decide on a separate motion from the Georgia election workers, who are seeking to hold Giuliani in contempt for not providing certain assets, including the title to his 1980 Mercedes convertible that was once owned by actress Lauren Bacall, in a timely manner to help settle his debt.
Giuliani, appearing via video, testified Monday that he has now found the title to the luxury vehicle.
However, his attorney, Joseph Cammarata, explained that the election workers still have not received the title because Giuliani must first acquire a new version from the local DMV after removing his ex-wife’s name.
“It’s not non-compliance, it’s cutting through a lot of red tape,” Cammarata argued.
Liman was not convinced by this defense.
“It’s not hard,” he responded curtly.
Ted Goodman, a spokesperson for Giuliani, criticized the legal proceedings, saying, “It’s tragic to watch as our justice system has been turned into a total mockery, where we have charades instead of actual hearings and trials.”
He added, “Unfortunately, it’s getting worse and worse because so few members of the legal community are willing to speak up or do anything about the weaponization of our justice system, and that needs to change.”
{Matzav.com}