A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Friday found Rudy Giuliani guilty of contempt of court, saying he violated a court order not to defame two former Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shay Moss. Have done.
In 2023, a jury awarded Freeman and Moss $148 million In a verdict against Giuliani for falsely claiming to have engaged in a fraudulent ballot processing scheme in Fulton County, Georgia during the 2020 election. District Judge Beryl Howell determined that Giuliani was liable for defame both They then became the focus of his baseless claims.
Late last year, the women alleged that Giuliani continued to defame them, claiming that he had told on two broadcast programs that he was caught on video telling them to “quadruple count” ballots and to “fix” voting machines. Shown passing a hard drive. Court papers quote Giuliani as saying in the November 12, 2024 broadcast, “I'm sorry they're going to sue me again for saying this, but what else am I going to do except tell the truth Am I?”
“These statements repeat the exact same lies for which Mr. Giuliani has already been held accountable, and which he agreed to be bound by a court order to prevent from repeating,” the women's attorneys wrote. court filing,
At the beginning of Friday's hearing, Judge Howell told Giuliani, “You are the most famous person in this courtroom right now. You have a larger audience. You have a larger public than anyone else in this courtroom.” Follower. You have a respected public service history with that background.”
He continued, “I was hoping that what you heard under oath in this courtroom would make you realize that what you were saying about the plaintiff was not true, and that you would stop saying those things. ”
Giuliani protested, “No, I didn't,” when he said he had sworn an oath not to say anything to discredit Freeman and Moss.
Freeman and Moss' attorney, Michael Gottlieb, said of Giuliani's comment claiming that the two had given each other hard drives that “this is a specific reference, which can be found in the addendum to the injunction regarding his allegation.” has been referenced several times, which is a false allegation.” “Customers were passing out hard drives to compromise the machines.”
Gottlieb argued that it was clear that Giuliani was talking about Freeman and Moss with the comment that the two were seen “counting four of the ballots”, since there is only one video of the 2020 election in Georgia. Video from State Farm Arena in Atlanta in which Giuliani is accused of ever being involved in multiple counting of ballots. This, he said, was “a fairly clear reference” to Freeman and Moss.
Judge Howell pressed Gottlieb on how anyone would know that Giuliani was specifically referring to Freeman and Moss, since he never referred to them by name. But Gottlieb responded that the average person should not be the standard applied in this case.
“The injunction was written specifically to avoid such a situation [Giuliani] They may not use their names, but may speak indirectly about the plaintiffs to convey the same defamatory meaning, the same implication, without using their names directly,” Gottlieb said.
Giuliani's attorney, Aiden Quainton, claimed that Giuliani's legal team was not told about the defamation instances until after the lawsuit and claimed that the allegations were unclear.
“When you look at the text of those videos, the fact that they had to bring in another video as evidence of the November 12 thing that was not previously brought to our attention, it really undermines the idea that They had clear and solid evidence to begin with,” Quenton said.
Judge Howell stopped Quainton several times and once told him, “This is really a waste of time.”
Freeman and Moss are seeking monetary compensation of $20,000 for each future violation of the consent judgment, which will be paid to the court using Giuliani's exempt assets, such as his IRA accounts and Florida condominium. They are seeking an order specifying that Giuliani use all the properties he claims as assets, some of which are currently being sued in New York. Howell indicated she plans to rule on a motion Friday.
Since the defamation suit, Giuliani has appeared in several different court proceedings regarding his ability to pay the fine.
On Monday, a federal judge in Manhattan held him guilty of contempt for failing to turn over information about his assets to contribute to repaying the $148 million owed. Court papers say he handed over some propertyThat included a car, but the court said he failed to give them access to his other properties and information. The lawsuit over his finances is ongoing.
Ahead of Friday's hearing in Washington, DC, Giuliani had asked to appear virtually, citing health problems and security concerns. He eventually withdrew that request after the judge expressed doubt about his claims.
Giuliani and his defense team pushed back On the latest claims, Freeman and Moss were accused of failing to “present clear and convincing evidence of a violation,” adding that they “did not consider Giuliani's substantial compliance with the consent decree since admission.”
His lawyers argued that the alleged violations did not meet the standard of contempt and that his statements were vague and devoid of context.
They wrote, “Giuliani has conscientiously avoided mentioning the plaintiffs' names and, as noted, has made reference to the Georgia ballot irregularities in connection with his other legal issues, including the pending indictment in Arizona. Is.”
Freeman and Moss denied these claims. His lawyers urged the court to put Giuliani “on notice that he will face a penalty for any such conduct in the future.”
During the day-long trial, which resulted in a $148 million verdict, jurors heard directly from Freeman and Moss, who described the terror they felt after being thrust into the public eye following the 2020 election. Both mother and daughter said their lives changed when they were publicly identified and the flood of racist threats that followed.
An investigation by the Georgia Secretary of State later concluded that “[a]“All allegations made against Freeman and Moss were baseless and found to have no merit.”
Giuliani has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the case and has alleged that the proceedings against him are politically motivated.