WASHINGTON, DC, USA — Former New York Mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani was held in contempt by a federal judge on Monday, January 6, 2025, for failing to provide required information in a defamation lawsuit brought by two former Georgia election workers.
The workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, are seeking $150 million in damages for false claims Giuliani made about them following the 2020 presidential election.
The ruling adds to a growing list of legal and financial woes for Giuliani, who has faced mounting consequences in court over his role in propagating baseless election fraud claims.
Failure to Comply with Court Orders
US District Judge Lewis Liman ruled that Giuliani’s failure to comply with discovery orders in the case was “willful,” accusing him of deliberately stalling the proceedings.
The judge rejected Giuliani’s explanation that his noncompliance was due to suspicions about the plaintiffs’ legal team, calling it a “self-serving” and “insufficient” excuse.
“If there was reason to believe the plaintiffs’ counsel misused discovery or would misuse discovery, he could raise that with the court.
It was not an excuse to take the law into his own hands,” Liman said during the court session.
The contempt sanction comes just weeks before a scheduled trial in which Giuliani is also attempting to retain ownership of a $3.5 million Palm Beach condominium, which he claims is his primary residence.
The Defamation Case
The defamation lawsuit stems from Giuliani’s repeated and false allegations that Freeman and Moss, who were election workers in Georgia during the 2020 election, engaged in illegal activities to switch votes against then-President Donald Trump.
Giuliani’s claims were part of a broader effort to challenge the election results in Georgia, a state where Trump narrowly lost to Joe Biden.
Freeman and Moss testified about the harassment and threats they faced after Giuliani’s statements, which included baseless accusations that they had manipulated ballots.
Their experiences became emblematic of the broader wave of intimidation faced by election officials nationwide.
A Washington, D.C., jury determined a year ago that Giuliani’s statements caused significant harm to the two women, awarding them $150 million in damages.
Mounting Legal Challenges
The contempt ruling adds to Giuliani’s escalating legal troubles, which have also included disciplinary actions against his law license and other defamation lawsuits related to his post-2020 election activities.
Giuliani is also a defendant in multiple criminal and civil cases linked to Trump’s efforts to overturn the election.
