Former New York Mayor and Trump ally Rudy Giuliani found guilty of contempt of court | Courts News

Giuliani was pressured to hand over assets to pay a $148 million fine to Georgia election officials whom he allegedly defamed.

A US judge has found Rudy Giuliani, an ally of President-elect Donald Trump, in contempt of court for not fully responding to requests about his assets.

Monday was the second day of Giuliani’s contempt hearing, and U.S. District Judge Louis J. Lehman ultimately ruled that he “willfully violated a clear and unambiguous order of this court.”

It was the latest chapter in an ongoing civil case that saw Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, murdered. responsible Charged with defamation over allegations made after the 2020 presidential election.

In December 2023, a jury in Washington, D.C., decided Giuliani Should be paid $73 million in damages and $75 million in penalties for two election workers falsely accused of vote tampering.

Giuliani had echoed Trump’s baseless claims that his defeat in 2020 was the result of widespread election fraud.

According to the lawyers, Giuliani’s allegations made election workers, mother Ruby Freeman and daughter Andrea “Shay” Moss, the targets of repeated harassment and death threats.

Judge Lehman said Monday that Giuliani had “beaten” the Dec. 20 deadline to provide details about his condominium in Palm Beach, Florida, which could be used as an asset to pay fines.

Moss and Freeman’s lawyers also accused Giuliani of ignoring their requests for information while trying to collect money owed.

For example, they said Giuliani had already turned over a Mercedes-Benz to authorities, as well as a car New York apartmentBut he failed to provide the necessary documents to convert it into funds.

They also claimed that Giuliani did not turn over sports memorabilia, watches and money from his “non-exempt cash accounts” that could be used to pay a multi-million dollar fine.

Monday’s decision focused largely on the Palm Beach apartment, which Giuliani claimed was his primary residence, in an attempt to protect it from seizure.

But Aaron Nathan, an attorney for the mother-daughter election workers, accused Giuliani of withholding documents that could show that Palm Beach was not his permanent home — making it another potential source of assets for the penalty.

However, Giuliani’s lawyer, Joseph Cammarata, said the time frame was too tight to provide all the requested information — though he maintained that Giuliani did try.

“There has been great compliance,” Cammarata said. “There is no objection to the court.”

Giuliani himself admitted that he was reluctant to hand over some documents, fearing that the requests would be too broad or even a legal “trap.”

He was also cited Heavy toll Because of the many legal issues he faces.

in GeorgiaFor example, Giuliani is part of a stalled but ongoing criminal case that accuses Trump and his allies of leading a criminal enterprise to overturn the 2020 election.

Meanwhile, in Arizonathe former mayor is part of another criminal indictment, likewise for spreading false election claims.

Giuliani, 80, estimated that competing demands made it “impossible to act in a formal manner” in a third of the cases. He said he “did not willfully disobey” any court orders.

But Judge Lehman appeared to reject the argument that Giuliani was simply overburdened.

“The fact that he is a busy person and has in the past been dependent on others is no excuse for non-compliance,” Lehman said.