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47
GOP
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Never before has a former mayor of a major city been held in contempt of court in two separate jurisdictions in the same week. But Rudy Giuliani managed to pull it off last week. Pretty impressive.
Last Monday, Judge Lewis Liman in New York held Giuliani in contempt of court for failing to turn over information about his assets so that the two Georgia election workers he defamed, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, could start collecting the $148 million he owes them. He doesn't have $148 million, but he does own a condo in Manhattan and one in Palm Beach, FL, whose combined worth is about $11 million, minus whatever it might cost to fumigate them to get rid of the stench of having once been owned by Rudy Giuliani.
On Friday, Judge Beryl Howell in D.C. held Giuliani in contempt of court for continuing to lie about the two women. Some people never learn. Before the hearing, Giuliani called Howell "bloodthirsty" and the proceeding against him a waste of time. After the hearing he said: "She didn't consider a damn thing I said. She wrote it beforehand."
Either or both judges could put Giuliani in prison, but so far neither has indicated that is in the immediate future. Still, both judges are clearly angry with Giuliani's disrespect for the court, the judge, law, and the jury's verdict. Their patience may be wearing thin.
This week won't be much better for the former mayor. On Thursday, Giuliani is due back in Liman's courtroom for a hearing about where he lives. For most people (other than the late senator John McCain) it is obvious where you live. For Giuliani it is not so obvious. He claims to live in Palm Beach, FL, but in reality he is rarely seen there. If the judge rules that he lives in his Manhattan condo, then the Florida condo is just another asset and the women can seize and sell it. If the judge rules that he lives in Florida, it is protected from seizure by the Florida Homestead Act. The lawyers for the women have demanded that Giuliani produce a list of every doctor he has seen in the past 4 years to see if they are in New York or in Florida. He has refused to produce the list. The judge is free to interpret this refusal as he wishes.
Also at issue is who owns the New York Yankees World Series rings that Giuliani was given when he was mayor of New York. He claims that he gave them to his son in 2018 so they are no longer his property and can't be seized. The judge will probably take note of the fact that during Giuliani's bankruptcy proceeding in 2023, Giuliani listed the rings among his property. While Donald Trump has managed to avoid any consequences of his many indictments, Giuliani may not be so lucky. In addition to this civil case, which has the potential to actually bankrupt him, he has been indicted in Arizona and Georgia for his role in the 2020 fake electors' scheme. Oh, and his previous lawyers have sued him for nonpayment of their bills. (V)