Giuliani Faces Civil Contempt Threat Over $148M Defamation Case

Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor, risks civil contempt for not surrendering his luxury items to Georgia election workers he defamed. Judge Lewis Liman warned him to comply with a property handover issued in October. Giuliani is accused of delaying tactics and asset shuffling amid bankruptcy proceedings.

A federal judge is poised to hold Rudy Giuliani in civil contempt for failing to hand over his luxury apartment and other assets to two Georgia election workers he owes $148 million after defamation claims. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman, based in Manhattan, had previously mandated that Giuliani, who once served as a personal lawyer to then-President-elect Donald Trump, deliver the specified property to Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, by a specified deadline in late October.

The property transfer would partially satisfy a judgment that a Washington, D.C., jury granted Freeman and Moss in December 2023. They allege that Giuliani is obstructing the collection process and avoiding revealing the location of his belongings. During a hearing, Judge Liman noted that Giuliani's assertions on a required form, stating no one knew the whereabouts of his assets, were "farcical." Giuliani, aged 80, claimed he had instructed his attorney, Kenneth Caruso, to remove his name from those records.

Despite Giuliani's reported compliance efforts, legal representatives for Freeman and Moss accused him of strategically transferring assets, including through the creation of a new LLC. Giuliani, who has sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection post-verdict, has been disbarred in New York, while also facing criminal charges related to election interference claims. Judge Liman dismissed Giuliani's bankruptcy case over a lack of financial transparency, stripping him of legal shields from creditors.

(With inputs from agencies.)