Topline
Former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani should be held in civil contempt and punished for continuing to spread false claims about the 2020 election, election officials in Georgia argued in a court filing Wednesday as Giuliani handed over his possessions after being sentenced to 148 poll workers US dollars to pay million.
Rudy Giuliani speaks to the media as he leaves court in New York on November 7.
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Important facts
Campaign workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss filed a motion for contempt and sanction against Giuliani in federal court on Wednesday, arguing that the former lawyer was violating an injunction in which he agreed not to spread false claims about the plaintiffs .
Giuliani was ordered to pay Freeman and Moss $148 million for defaming them by linking them to false fraud allegations; He subsequently filed for bankruptcy and has now been ordered to turn over his possessions, including his car and his New York City apartment, to election officials to pay off the judgment.
Giuliani repeatedly made false claims about poll workers on his online streaming show, the plaintiffs allege, claiming that Freeman and Moss had “quadruple” counted ballots just last week – for which there is no evidence – and said: “I'm sorry “I’m sorry they’re going to sue me again for saying that, but what else can I do but tell the truth.”
This explicitly violates the terms Giuliani agreed to in May, the plaintiffs argue, which prohibits him from “publishing, or causing others to publish, any statements that suggest that plaintiffs, whether directly, indirectly or implicitly, are mentioned , have committed misconduct in connection with the 2020 presidential election.”
Freeman and Moss asked the court to hold Giuliani in contempt and hold a hearing to determine the specific amount of damages.
Giuliani's spokesman Ted Goodman called the filing “a dishonest and duplicitous attack designed to deprive Mayor Rudy Giuliani of his First Amendment right to free speech” in a statement to Forbes on Wednesday and said Giuliani “has every right to defend himself.” , especially than the other side constantly leaks to the press.”
What you should pay attention to
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ordered Giuliani to respond to the sanctions request by Dec. 2 and scheduled a hearing on the matter for Dec. 12. If Giuliani doesn't respond to the plaintiff's argument, he should be sanctioned, Howell noted, which he will be. “It was treated as a concession of that motion,” suggesting that Giuliani would be disregarded by default. The sanctions request was made as part of the defamation case that campaign officials brought against Giuliani, rather than as part of his separate bankruptcy case – in which Freeman and Moss gain control of Giuliani's assets – and it remains to be seen whether additional penalties would be sought against Giuliani as both cases will be played out.
Main critic
“The ongoing litigation against Mayor Giuliani must end,” Goodman said in a statement Wednesday. “It is a complete abomination and absolutely outrageous to see these people trying to destroy this good and honest 80-year-old man who has dedicated his life to serving others.”
Surprising fact
Should there be a hearing to consider sanctioning Giuliani, he will likely have a different legal team than those who represented him in court. Giuliani's legal team representing him in the dispute over his assets has asked the court for permission to drop him as a client, citing rules that allow lawyers to withdraw if “the client insists on taking action.” “with which the lawyer fundamentally disagrees” or actions that are “not justified under applicable law” or if “the client does not cooperate with the representation or otherwise makes it unreasonably difficult for the lawyer to carry out his work effectively”. The specific reasons for the attorneys' decision to withdraw were redacted in a court filing Tuesday. Giuliani has asked the court in his estate case to replace that legal team with attorney Joseph Cammarata, although the matter is still being heard because Freeman and Moss have objected to Giuliani's previous lawyers dropping out.
Important background
Giuliani led then-President Donald Trump's unsuccessful legal campaign to overturn the 2020 election and became one of the biggest figures to claim voter fraud for which there is no credible evidence. His actions after the election have now had far-reaching consequences against the former mayor of New York City: In addition to the $148 defamation verdict, his law license was revoked and he was charged in Georgia and Arizona with his Radio show was canceled and he faces charges in several other defamation cases from voting machine makers Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic. Giuliani pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, maintained his innocence and continued to falsely claim fraud. A federal judge ordered Giuliani in October to turn over millions of dollars' worth of assets to Georgia election officials to satisfy the $148 million judgment, including ownership of his New York City apartment , cash in his bank account and a Mercedes-Benz , some furniture, a television, sports memorabilia, “costume jewelry,” a diamond ring and 26 watches. Giuliani has now begun handing over these items after previously being reluctant to do so, with the judge in that case separately threatening sanctions against Giuliani if he refused to comply.
Further reading
