A federal judge has indicated that the upcoming contempt hearing for Rudy Giuliani may not bode well for him. This marks a significant moment as he faces a $148 million defamation award pursued by two election poll workers in Georgia.

Judge Lewis J. Liman, presiding in Manhattan, expressed skepticism regarding Giuliani’s efforts, along with those of his attorney, to evade sharing necessary information with the lawyers representing the election workers. He emphasized that all parties involved should be prepared to justify why he should not accept the request from the workers’ attorneys to draw negative conclusions from the presented evidence. This evidence could potentially place Giuliani’s Palm Beach, Florida, condominium at risk of being forfeited to meet the financial judgment against him.

Additionally, the judge suggested that he might issue a ruling on the contempt allegations during the upcoming hearing. Giuliani contends that his Palm Beach residence serves as his primary home and, therefore, should be protected from the judgment pending against him. A trial regarding the ownership of his Florida property and World Series rings is scheduled to take place on January 16.

Lawyers representing the election workers initiated the contempt proceedings after alleging that Giuliani has not complied with an order to disclose a lease for his Manhattan apartment, along with various valuable items including a Mercedes, luxury watches, jewelry, and a signed Joe DiMaggio shirt. The judge had previously directed Giuliani to provide these items last October.

Giuliani’s legal team has expressed confidence that he will ultimately prevail in retaining these items when the matter is taken to appeal. A request was made for a comment from Giuliani’s attorney, who was scheduled for a deposition on Friday.

This contempt hearing follows a fraught session in November, where Giuliani displayed visible frustration towards Judge Liman, alleging unfair treatment in the proceedings. Last year, Giuliani was found liable for defamation against the two Georgia poll workers after he falsely accused them of manipulating ballots during the 2020 presidential election.

The election workers reported that they received numerous death threats in response to Giuliani’s false assertions, including claims that they had secretly brought in ballots in suitcases, counted these ballots multiple times, and tampered with voting machines.