An angry Rudy Giuliani lashed out at the judge presiding over the deposition in court on Tuesday. $146 million defamation judgment against him – and he complained that he was struggling to make ends meet.
Speaking after U.S. District Judge Lewis Lima said he had not complied with court orders to hand over the assets of Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, Giuliani said, “The implications you have against me are wrong. “I don’t have a car, credit card, cash, everything is tied up, they put a stop order on my business account, and I can’t pay the bill.”
The judge said Giuliani did not appear incapacitated and warned him against further outbursts.
The hearing in federal court in New York was held in part in response to the lawyers’ claims Ruby Freeman and Shaye Mossformer Georgia election workers slandered Giuliani while protesting the state’s 2020 election results. Attorneys for Freeman and Moss said the former federal prosecutor did not comply with court orders to turn over their assets to the couple.
Giuliani’s new attorney, Joseph Cammarata, said the former New York City mayor has turned over one of the assets, a 1980 Mercedes-Benz SL 500 owned by Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall. Freeman and Moss’ attorney, Aaron Nathan, said Giuliani turned over the car, but not the title.
The judge said the title must be surrendered. “A car without a top is pointless,” Liman said, questioning why Giuliani couldn’t buy a new one.
“Your client is a person of authority. He was the U.S. attorney in the district. The notion that he can’t apply for a certificate of title…” Giuliani told Judge Cammarata before he cut her off and started shouting.
“I applied for it!” Giuliani barked, shaking his head. “What am I supposed to do, make it up myself? Your suggestion that I’m not putting effort into this is completely false,” he said, lamenting his financial woes.
Attorneys for election workers said Giuliani had a similar paperwork problem with his Manhattan co-op apartment. While receivers have access to the apartment, which is estimated to be worth more than $5 million, Giuliani “has yet to provide the keys, shares or ownership lease,” they said.
He has turned over most of his luxury watch collection, but not all of it, as ordered last month, the document said.
“Mr. Giuliani has delivered 18 watches and a diamond ring to the address provided by the Receivers,” the filing states, but he has nine more watches to deliver.
In court, Nathan said his clients wanted to move forward and collect what was theirs, but had to endure delay after delay, with many extensions, as Giuliani failed to comply with court orders and refused to hand over money from his bank account and sports memorabilia. including a signed Joe DiMaggio jury.
Cammarata said the judge appealed the turnover order and asked for some extensions, given that Giuliani had just signed on to the case after his previous attorney withdrew for undisclosed reasons.
The port denied the request. “You can’t restart the clock by firing one consultant and hiring another. He has already obtained several extensions and missed many,” the judge said, adding that Giuliani could face sanctions and potential jail time if he does not comply with his orders.
A trial is scheduled for Jan. 16 on two crucial sentencing issues: whether Giuliani must turn over his Florida home and four World Series rings that his son Andrew said were given to him years ago. Giuliani had listed the rings as his property bankruptcy case earlier this year.
Cammarata asked the judge to adjourn the trial to a later date so Giuliani could attend related events Trump’s inauguration. According to him, Giuliani regularly consults with Trump and “has a political right to be there.”
The judge denied the request, saying Giuliani’s “social calendar” did not cause the delay.
After the trial, Giuliani said the trial was unnecessary because Liman “is going to get a verdict against me. If you can’t sit in a courtroom and understand that, you’re an idiot.”
“His background is a serious left-leaning Democrat,” he said, acknowledging that he was nominated for the bench by Trump. Still, according to Giuliani, the judge is “as left-wing as you get.”
Freeman and Moss filed the lawsuit against Giuliani after they repeatedly accused him of election fraud during the 2020 election. racist death threats torrent which forced them out of business. State officials said at the time that the couple had done nothing wrong. Giuliani continued to accuse the mother and daughter of fraud — even after a long standoff the investigation clarified them.
Last year, the jury awarded them 148 million dollars in compensation was paidthis was reduced by Liman to $146 million.
Asked if he regrets defaming Freeman and Moss, Giuliani said, “I don’t regret it for a minute. I regret the harassment I went through.”