Giuliani Held in Contempt for Second Time This Week
Rudy Giuliani has to be setting some kind of record for legal drama. At the very least, he has to be the only former New York mayor to be held in contempt of court twice in one week.
Giuliani’s current predicament began late last year, when election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss won a $148 million defamation judgement against him in federal court. Giuliani falsely accused the mother and daughter of election fraud as part of his effort to help Donald Trump steal the 2020 election.
On Monday in Manhattan, Federal Judge Lewis Liman found Giuliani in contempt for missing multiple deadlines to turn over financial information to the two women. On Friday afternoon in Washington, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell also found Giuliani in contempt, this time for failing to comply with an agreement that he stop making defamatory comments about Freeman and Moss.
During episodes of his nightly livestreams in November, Giuliani repeated his false claims that security-camera footage showed the women fixing voting machines.
Giuliani’s attorney, Eden Quainton, noted that he had gone several months without defaming the women prior to his November broadcast, and he didn’t actually say their names on his show. Quainton also argued that Giuliani did not show actual malice because he truly believes his election lies. Judge Howell wasn’t convinced.
“So what, you’re saying this defamation is never going to stop?” Howell responded, per NBC News. “He’s never going to stop saying this because he thinks he’s right? That’s chilling.”
Judge Howell said Giuliani had “engaged in the worst kind of defamation” as she read her verdict. “This takes real chutzpah, Mr. Giuliani.”
For now, Howell only ordered Giuliani to acknowledge that there was no election fraud, as CNN reports:
In addition to finding Giuliani in contempt, Howell ordered that within 10 days — Trump’s Inauguration Day — he must swear in a statement sent to the court that he’s reviewed and acknowledges several records showing that there was no fraud in the 2020 election. If he doesn’t do that, he’ll be fined $200 a day.
Howell suggested that she may consider more serious penalties, like jail time, if Giuliani continues making false statements.
Giuliani will be in court again on January 16. Judge Liman has scheduled a trial to decide whether Giuliani should be allowed to hold onto his Yankees World Series rings and his condo in Palm Beach, Florida. And Moss and Freeman are still trying to have him held in contempt for failing to turn over assets.
Giuliani probably didn’t help his case by blasting both judges on X ahead of Friday’s hearing:
And unfortunately for the former mayor, Donald Trump’s return to the White House on January 20 probably won’t be much help to him. The president can only issue pardons for federal criminal offenses, so Trump can’t absolve Giuliani in any of these civil defamation-related matters or his many other legal troubles.