Rudy Giuliani on Friday denounced legal questions from two Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss, calling them “abusive.” These workers sued Giuliani after he falsely accused them of helping to steal the 2020 U.S. presidential election for Joe Biden. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and lawyer for Donald Trump, now seeks to avoid a contempt of court citation in Manhattan federal court.
Giuliani Faces Intense Scrutiny Over Defamation Verdict
Freeman and Moss claim Giuliani has repeatedly ignored their inquiries regarding his property, which they need to evaluate as payment toward a $148 million defamation judgment. In recent months, they sent him detailed questions, including requests to identify the lawyers and doctors he consulted. Giuliani dismissed these questions, labeling them intrusive and overly broad.
“If there’s ever been a case for law school textbooks on abusive and overbroad discovery, this is it,” Giuliani argued during the hearing.
The election workers originally sued Giuliani in 2021, accusing him of defaming them by promoting false claims. He alleged that a surveillance video showed the two women hiding and counting illegal ballots at a basketball arena in Atlanta during the 2020 election. In 2023, Giuliani admitted to making defamatory statements about them, leading a judge to hold him liable for defamation due to his refusal to turn over key electronic records.
Court Demands Giuliani’s Assets to Settle Judgment
A Washington, D.C., jury later ordered Giuliani to pay Freeman and Moss approximately $73 million in compensation and $75 million in punitive damages. Despite the ruling, Freeman and Moss’ lawyers assert that Giuliani has not surrendered all required assets, including his Manhattan apartment, title to a 1980 Mercedes, and valuable sports memorabilia.
The plaintiffs have urged Judge Lewis Liman to hold Giuliani in contempt. They also argue that Giuliani improperly classified his Palm Beach, Florida, condominium as his permanent residence to shield it from seizure.
A Fall From Grace for ‘America’s Mayor’
A contempt ruling in the district where Giuliani once served as a top federal prosecutor would further cement his dramatic downfall. Once hailed as “America’s Mayor” for his leadership following the Sept. 11 attacks, Giuliani now battles disbarment for spreading election-related falsehoods and faces criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona for aiding Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Amid the legal proceedings, Giuliani found time to critique a courtroom sketch artist. During a break, he asked Jane Rosenberg, who documented the hearing for Reuters, to portray him favorably. Recalling an earlier drawing, Giuliani scowled and quipped, “You made me look like my dog.”
With mounting legal challenges and increasing scrutiny, Giuliani’s fight to preserve his reputation and assets shows no sign of easing.
