Former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani held in contempt of court in defamation case

New York: A federal judge held Rudy Giuliani in contempt of court Monday for failing to cooperate in the handover of $11 million of his personal assets to Georgia poll workers he falsely accused of helping to steal the 2020 presidential election.

Giuliani, 80, a former mayor of New York City, has failed to turn over the bulk of his personal assets as a down payment on the $148 million judgment the poll workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, won in a defamation lawsuit.

The judge, Lewis J. Liman of US District Court in Manhattan, has yet to detail what specific sanctions Giuliani faces. But being held in contempt could possibly hinder the former mayor’s attempts to hang onto his condo in Palm Beach, Florida, which has been valued at $3.5 million.

Giuliani’s assets include a 10-room apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan; a 1980 Mercedes-Benz convertible; a collection of 26 designer watches; and rare New York Yankees collectibles, the most valuable of which might be a signed and framed Joe DiMaggio jersey. (The jersey is missing.)

He is due back in federal court in Manhattan on Jan. 16 for a civil trial in which he is expected to argue that his Palm Beach condo should be exempt from the seizure under Florida law, because it is his primary residence. But Giuliani has failed repeatedly to answer questions that could prove his residency.

The court ruled that Giuliani had obstructed the election workers’ attempts to determine Giuliani’s real primary residence, which for years had been the cooperative apartment on East 66th Street in Manhattan.

Liman, who has appeared frustrated at Giuliani’s shifting rationale for the omissions, ruled that his failure to comply will permit the court to draw negative conclusions about his Florida residency status, which could hobble his defense.

“The defendant has been attempting to run out the clock,” Liman said, adding that he was unmoved by the former mayor’s argument that he was overwhelmed with court requests, including charges in two criminal cases and several other civil actions. “The fact that he is a busy person and relied on others is not an excuse,” he said.

The contempt charges Monday pertained specifically to Giuliani’s failure to cooperate with the discovery process related to his condo. He could also be held in contempt for his failure to hand over other valuables, some of which remain tied up in legal limbo. After being grilled on the stand for several hours Friday, Giuliani said he had made progress in obtaining the title to the convertible that he must hand over to the women. But they have yet to receive that title.

Giuliani was allowed to attend the hearing Monday via video conference, after citing health problems. He was seated at a desk in a dark blue suit, in front of a flat-screen monitor projecting a giant American flag.

Liman, sounding peeved, asked for the background to be removed. It was one of a number of testy exchanges.

Talking over his lawyer, Giuliani asked if he could reveal what progress he had made on the overdue handover of his property.

“I want you to play witness and not lawyer,” Liman interjected.

Giuliani did not rejoin the hearing after the lunch recess.

The court appearance focused on whether Giuliani had been forthcoming with requests from the election workers’ lawyers seeking emails and other communications that might clarify his residency. They also requested a list of legal, financial and medical professionals he has consulted with since the start of 2020.

Over several weeks, Giuliani failed to answer the questions, at times arguing that the requests were “monstrously overbroad,” and other times citing security issues, because the period overlapped with his tenure as Donald Trump’s personal lawyer.

The initial deadline to turn over the property was more than two months ago. But Giuliani insisted that he has largely complied with requests for information about the assets, despite his delayed responses.

At one point, Giuliani held up a gold pocket watch that matched the description of a timepiece that he inherited from his grandfather. It is one of a number of watches that he has yet to hand over, despite court orders, but he said he was now willing to transfer it to the plaintiffs.

In his latest response to an overdue request in December, he included a list of his doctors’ names — but only their last names, without the address of their offices.

“I never purposely tried to hide or leave out a document,” Giuliani said.

Aaron Nathan, a lawyer for the women, argued that Giuliani was relying on “cherry-picked” documents that did not provide a full picture before the condo trial.

Liman broadly agreed with the plaintiffs, and ruled that Giuliani “willfully violated a clear and unambiguous order of the court.” He was still considering what sanctions Giuliani might face, which could include fines or jail time.

In a statement, Ted Goodman, a spokesperson for Giuliani, called the decision politically motivated.

The women’s lawyers “might be happy to fight to take away Mayor Giuliani’s most cherished personal belongings, including his signed baseball jersey of his childhood hero and his grandfather’s pocket watch,” he said. “But they can never take away his extraordinary record of public service.”

Lawyers for the election workers declined to comment.

The ruling marks a new low point in the fallout from Giuliani’s defamation case. In November, Giuliani’s original lawyers withdrew from the case, citing an undisclosed professional ethics concern.

In a recently unsealed letter explaining their departure, one of the lawyers, Kenneth Caruso, a longtime friend of Giuliani, said his client was not cooperating in the discovery process related to the Florida condo, and was withholding access to his electronic devices.

Giuliani could also face separate contempt charges Friday in a Washington, DC, court. He is accused of violating an order to stop repeating false claims about the women.