'Outrageous and shameful': Second judge holds Rudy Giuliani in contempt in defamation case

WASHINGTON ? Rudy Giuliani, the former campaign lawyer for President-elect Donald Trump, has been found in civil contempt for the second time in a week in his $148 million for defamation from two Georgia election workers.

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington found him in contempt on Friday for continuing to defame the women, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea’ “Shaye” Moss, despite signing an agreement to stop. Howell threatened Giuliani with jail if he continues to defy court orders.

"It is outrageous and shameful that Mr. Giuliani dares to suggest that he is the one who is being treated unfairly," Howell said.

She required Giuliani to submit a court document within 10 days acknowledging that testimony and evidence presented during his civil trial in 2023 directly contradicted his statements. Giuliani will face a $200 fine each day he does not file the court declaration, she said.

Her decision came after U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in New York on Monday also found Giuliani in contempt. Liman had ordered the former New York City mayor to turn over valuables to the women such as a Mercedes Benz once owned by Lauren Bacall, a Manhattan apartment and an autographed Joe DiMaggio baseball jersey to help settle his debt.

Giuliani attacked Howell on social media, calling her “bloodthirsty” and saying she would produce a “highly prejudiced, usual, biased decision.” Giuliani called the hearing is “a hypocritical waste of time," in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"This was a farce," Giuliani told reporters outside the courthouse. "She put on an absolute farce and a clown show."

Freeman and Moss sued Giuliani for defamation over his false accusations they were stuffing ballot boxes while counting votes in Atlanta's State Farm Arena.

Guiliani claimed they were "passing around USB ports as if they're vials of heroin or cocaine." Freeman and Moss testified at a U.S. House hearing that they were passing ginger mints.

But since the $148 million judgment in December 2023, Freeman and Moss said Giuliani hasn’t provided them “a single dollar” from his cash accounts. Giuliani turned over the car without the ownership title, the apartment still has Giuliani’s ex-wife on ownership papers and the jersey was never turned over, according to court records.

"He willfully refused to search for and produce documents that would have been responsive to the plaintiffs' request for production," Aaron Nathan, a lawyer for the women, said at the first contempt hearing.

The election workers also said Giuliani has continued to defame them on his podcast, "America’s Mayor Live," despite the lawsuit judgment.

On Nov. 19, 2024, Giuliani accused the women of “quadruple counting” votes on election night, according to a court filing. On Nov. 21, 2024, Giuliani called an injunction against criticizing the women “a little ridiculous” and said “to hell with it,” according to a court filing.

Giuliani, 80, has claimed his life was upended by the lawsuit but that he has not "willfully disobeyed" any court orders.

"There's been substantial compliance," Giuliani's lawyer, Joseph Cammarata, told Liman on Monday. "There is no defiance to the court."

The defamation case is just one piece of litigation facing Giuliani after he aggressively challenged 2020 election results for Trump with baseless claims of widespread fraud. Giuliani faces criminal charges of election interference in Arizona and Georgia. He has been disbarred in New York and Washington.

(This article has been updated with new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rudy Giuliani held in contempt again in $148 million defamation case