Giuliani takes witness stand as Georgia 2020 election staff search contempt ruling

By Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Former New York Metropolis mayor Rudy Giuliani took the witness stand on Friday to attempt to fend off a bid to have him held in contempt of court docket by two Georgia election staff that he falsely accused of attempting to assist steal the 2020 U.S. presidential election for Democrat Joe Biden.

The election staff, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea Moss, say Giuliani has not complied with U.S. District Decide Lewis (JO:LEWJ) Liman’s orders to surrender his Manhattan residence, title to a 1980 Mercedes and sports activities memorabilia as cost towards a $148 million defamation verdict of their favor. 

Freeman and Moss sued Giuliani – a former private lawyer to Republican President-elect Donald Trump – in 2021, accusing him of destroying their reputations. Giuliani made repeated false claims {that a} surveillance video confirmed the pair concealing and counting suitcases stuffed with unlawful ballots at a basketball area in Atlanta that was used to course of votes throughout the 2020 election.

Two years later, Giuliani conceded he made defamatory statements about them, and a decide dominated he was chargeable for defamation as a sanction in opposition to him for failing to show over digital data to Moss and Freeman.

A Washington, D.C., jury later ordered he pay Freeman and Moss roughly $73 million in compensation and $75 million as punishment.

Legal professionals for Freeman and Moss say Giuliani has not given all of them the property he’s required to. At Friday’s listening to in Manhattan federal court docket, they urged Liman to carry him in contempt and punish him by discovering he didn’t deal with a Palm Seaside, Florida, condominium he owns as his everlasting residence, that means it could possibly be turned over. 

Giuliani, 80, has claimed that his day-to-day life has been upended by the 2 election staff, making it troublesome to acquire crucial paperwork, and that he has not “willfully disobeyed” any court docket orders.

He has additionally mentioned he relied on his earlier attorneys within the case to adjust to data requests from Freeman and Moss.

These attorneys, Kenneth Caruso and David Labkowski, withdrew in November, saying it was partly as a result of Giuliani refused to adjust to these requests.

‘YOU MADE ME LOOK LIKE MY DOG’

A contempt quotation within the district the place he had been the highest federal prosecutor would mark an extra fall from grace for Giuliani, as soon as referred to as “America’s Mayor” for his response to the Sept. 11, 2001, assaults. 

Giuliani has been disbarred for making false claims concerning the 2020 election, and pleaded not responsible to prison prices in Georgia and Arizona that he aided Trump’s failed try and overturn his loss.

Throughout a break within the listening to, Giuliani requested courtroom sketch artist Jane Rosenberg whether or not she would make him look “good,” mentioned Rosenberg, who was documenting the listening to for Reuters. He criticized a drawing Rosenberg made from him in a previous continuing by scrunching his face right into a scowl.

“You made me appear to be my canine,” Giuliani mentioned, in accordance with Rosenberg.

Legal professionals for the election staff additionally say Giuliani did not ship them paperwork that might have helped them decide whether or not he should flip over the Florida condominium.

Giuliani’s new lawyer, Joseph Cammarata, mentioned Giuliani had “considerably if not practically totally complied” with the election staff’ requests, however mentioned they requested him for an “astronomical” quantity of knowledge as he confronted a number of different authorized entanglements.

“Mr. Giuliani is an 80-year-old man who has been hit with a whirlwind of discovery calls for in a number of jurisdictions,” Cammarata mentioned.