Rudy Giuliani set to appear at second contempt hearing in defamation case

WASHINGTON — A federal judge will hear arguments Friday at Rudy Giuliani’s second contempt of court hearing this week in the defamation case against him involving former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss.

Washington, D.C. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell will hear arguments on whether the former New York mayor and Donald Trump lawyer should be punished with financial penalties for continuing to defame Freeman and Moss on his streaming show despite a court-ordered agreement that said he would not do so.

Giuliani said his comments on his show were not defamatory and that it was “my First Amendment right to speak about the case and my defense.”

Freeman and Moss had sued Giuliani over his claims about them as he tried to help then-President Trump overturn the results of the 2020 election. Howell said Giuliani responsible in 2023 for defaming Freeman and Moss after ignoring court orders to turn over evidence.

A jury rewarded them $148 million in damagewhich the judge reduced to $146 million. Giuliani is appealing the verdict.

Earlier this week, a federal judge in New York found Giuliani guilty of contempt of courtt for non-compliance with delivery orders information about his assets to Freeman and Moss.

Giuliani had testified for two days about why he had not yet turned over assets and information ordered by the court as part of the $146 million judgment.

One prized asset he failed to return included a New York Yankees jersey autographed by Hall of Fame outfielder Joe DiMaggio, but Giuliani said last week that it was “missing.”

“I don’t know where it is, and it’s difficult to recreate who took it, and I’m personally doing my own investigation into it,” he said.