On Christmas Eve, Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, made an urgent plea to a federal judge, asking not to be held in contempt of court. This request comes as part of his ongoing legal battle with two Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, who have already won a defamation lawsuit against him.
Earlier this year, Giuliani was ordered to pay $148 million to Freeman and Moss. The lawsuit stemmed from false claims he made about the two women during the 2020 election, accusing them of election fraud. Now, the focus is on collecting the money owed, and Giuliani is trying to protect some of his personal assets while avoiding further penalties from the judge.
The situation is getting more complicated. Judge Lewis Liman has scheduled a hearing for January 3 to address multiple issues, including accusations from Freeman and Moss that Giuliani has ignored court orders and failed to hand over key financial documents. They also claim he hasn’t turned over personal property that could help settle his debt.
Giuliani, however, is fighting back with a legal argument. He says Freeman and Moss aren’t entitled to his property because they didn’t meet a specific requirement under New York law. According to him, they were supposed to take an official oath before acting as court-appointed receivers to manage his assets, but they didn’t do it. Without that oath, Giuliani argues, they don’t have the legal authority to demand anything from him.
In his filing, Giuliani cited legal precedents and emphasized that the law requires this oath to be taken and filed with the court. He insists that since Freeman and Moss haven’t done this, they shouldn’t be allowed to act as receivers or collect any property from him. He also claims the court shouldn’t consider holding him in contempt until the plaintiffs fulfill these legal requirements.
Meanwhile, Freeman and Moss have been pushing for financial documents to be handed over. They say Giuliani has ignored deadlines set by the court in October and November. In response, Giuliani argues that he has been cooperating more since he got new lawyers in late November, suggesting that any delays were not intentional.
This legal battle dates back to December 2023, when Freeman and Moss won their defamation case against Giuliani. The court found that Giuliani had made blatantly false claims, accusing the two women of tampering with votes during the 2020 election. These claims were proven to be entirely untrue, and Freeman and Moss were awarded a hefty $148 million in damages.
Since then, the fight has shifted to enforcing that judgment. Freeman and Moss have been working to uncover Giuliani’s financial situation through court orders and requests for documents. However, they claim Giuliani has not been forthcoming, even after repeated instructions from the judge.
The January 3 hearing will likely be a critical moment in this case, as the court decides whether Giuliani should face contempt charges for failing to comply with previous orders. At the heart of the issue is whether Freeman and Moss can move forward as receivers to collect the money owed, or if Giuliani’s argument about the missing oath will hold up in court. For now, the legal drama continues to unfold.
