Rudy Giuliani found in contempt of court during federal defamation case

U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman issued a bench order on Monday placing the former New York City mayor in contempt of court for failing to turn over assets required by the court to pay a $148 million judgment, according to the Associated Press. Giuliani must pay the judgment after a jury convicted him of defaming two Georgian election workers during the 2020 election. Liman made the ruling during Giuliani’s second day of testimony at the contempt hearing, alleging that his lawyers had not complied with evidence requests for several months.

In what ways did Guliani fail to comply? The former Trump lawyer submitted a Mercedes-Benz and his New York apartment to the court but allegedly omitted the necessary paperwork to monetize the surrendered assets. The election workers' attorneys alleged that Giuliani also failed to turn in other valuables the court ordered him to surrender, like watches and sports memorabilia.

How did Guliani respond? Giuliani testified for three hours on Friday, then continued virtually on Monday. Throughout his time on the stand, Giuliani admitted that he intentionally did not turn over all assets requested when he felt the requests were too broad or inappropriate, according to the Associated Press. Giuliani alleged that one of the items—a Joe DiMaggio jersey—had not been submitted because he couldn’t find it and said he was working to locate it.

What does the ruling mean? It is unclear what sanctions Giuliani will face from the ruling. The order came days before a trial scheduled for Jan. 16 to determine whether Giuliani’s Yankees World Series rings and his Palm Beach home should be included in the asset seizure. Giuliani argued that his Florida condo should be omitted from the judgment because it serves as his full-time residence.