A federal judge has ordered Rudy Giuliani to appear in court in early January to address claims of contempt for failing to turn over assets to two Georgia election poll workers who won a libel case against him. The assets in question include a New York apartment lease, a signed Joe DiMaggio shirt, a Mercedes, various watches and jewelry, and baseball mementos.
The judge signed the order for Giuliani to appear on Jan. 3, with a trial scheduled for Jan. 16 regarding the disposition of his Florida residence and World Series rings. In a previous ruling, Giuliani was instructed to surrender many of his prized possessions to the poll workers, with his lawyers expressing confidence in winning custody of the items on appeal.
Giuliani's attorneys have characterized the contempt hearing as an act of 'lawfare' orchestrated by the election workers' counsel, alleging a mission to destroy the former mayor. They anticipate prevailing at trial and plan to depose the plaintiffs in the case.
During a heated November hearing, Giuliani clashed with the judge, claiming unfair treatment and asserting his diligence in addressing the court's directives. The judge warned Giuliani's legal team that interruptions would not be tolerated in future proceedings.
Giuliani was found liable for defaming the two poll workers by falsely accusing them of ballot tampering during the 2020 presidential election. The women reported receiving death threats following Giuliani's unfounded claims of ballot manipulation.
