Judge finds Rudy Giuliani in contempt for continuing to defame Georgia election workers

A federal judge on Friday found Rudy Giuliani in civil contempt for violating an agreement to not make new false claims about Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.

Giuliani was found liable for defaming Freeman and Moss and ordered to pay a $148 million defamation verdict to the workers in 2023, after falsely claiming they participated in election fraud during the 2020 election.

An agreement with the verdict barred the former New York City Mayor from any further claims they “engaged in wrongdoing” during the election, but the pair argued he broke the agreement in two broadcasts of his live-streamed “America’s Mayor Live” show on Nov. 12 and 14. 

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell agreed that Giuliani broke the agreement in at least six ways, including when he claimed the women had engaged in election crimes, according to The Hill.

“This takes real chutzpah, Mr. Giuliani,” Howell said on Friday.

Howell also ordered Giuliani to submit a filing under oath that affirms he reviewed the record of the case, a Georgia report that found all allegations against Freeman and Moss were unsubstantiated, and acknowledge that his statements in question violate the findings. 

If Giuliani does not submit the filing within 10 days, he will be fined $200 for every day that its late. If he continues violating the order after 30 days then more serious punishments could be inflicted, including possible jail time, Howell warned.

“I am very concerned based on the statements made during this hearing that Mr. Giuliani may not be persuaded to stop making statements that violate the consent judgment in this case without even more severe sanctions,” Howell said.

Giuliani was also found in contempt in New York on Monday for not complying with court orders regarding financial information and assets in the defamation case. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.