WASHINGTON — A federal judge is scheduled to listen to arguments on Friday regarding the potential contempt of court ruling against Rudy Giuliani, who has allegedly continued to disseminate falsehoods about two Georgia election workers following a significant defamation verdict against him. The judge will consider requests from the plaintiffs’ legal team to impose civil contempt penalties against Giuliani, recognized for his past role as New York City’s mayor and as an attorney for Donald Trump. Giuliani is accused of perpetuating unfounded claims that Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, engaged in election fraud during the 2020 election cycle.
Moss and Freeman, who initiated a lawsuit against Giuliani, claim that his allegations led to extensive harassment and racist threats that severely impacted their lives. In December 2023, a jury ruled in favor of the women, awarding them a total of $148 million, which includes $75 million in punitive damages along with approximately $73 million in additional compensatory damages. The plaintiffs’ attorneys argued that since December 2020, Giuliani has been spreading false statements about them, even after he was informed that his conspiracy theories lacked evidence and posed serious dangers.
In response, Giuliani’s legal team contends that the plaintiffs have not provided “clear and convincing” proof that he breached any court orders based on his remarks in November about purported ballot mismanagement in Georgia. His lawyers posited that Giuliani believed he acted in good faith, maintaining that his comments did not infringe upon the judgment imposed against him and therefore should not result in contempt penalties.
Should Judge Beryl Howell decide to hold Giuliani in contempt, it would mark the second instance of such a ruling against him in recent days. Earlier this week, in a separate case in New York, Judge Lewis Liman found Giuliani in contempt for failing to submit requested evidence related to a dispute over his properties, specifically concerning a condominium in Palm Beach, Florida. Giuliani defended his actions in Liman’s courtroom by stating that he did not comply with the evidence requests as he perceived them to be excessive and unwarranted, characterizing them as a possible “trap” by the plaintiffs’ legal team.
Giuliani, who is 80 years old, has expressed intentions to appear at Friday’s hearing despite voicing concerns related to his health and travel safety. In a court document, he mentioned receiving death threats and being advised to exercise caution while traveling. “I had hoped for better understanding from the Court regarding my situation, but it seems I was mistaken,” he remarked in his filing.
During previous court testimonies, Moss and Freeman articulated the intense fear they experienced after becoming targets of false conspiracy narratives propagated by Giuliani and other Republican figures as they sought to reverse Trump’s electoral defeat to Joe Biden. Moss revealed to jurors that she has gone to great lengths to alter her appearance and now rarely leaves her house, suffering from panic attacks as a result. Freeman, reflecting on the aftermath of the jury’s verdict, stated, “Money will never solve all my problems. I can never move back into the house that I call home. I will always have to be careful about where I go and who I choose to share my name with. I miss my home. I miss my neighbors, and I miss my name.”
