NEW YORK – A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Rudy Giuliani to appear in court in early January to face claims that he should be held in contempt for failing to turn over assets including a New York apartment lease and a signed Joe DiMaggio shirt to two Georgia election poll workers who won a libel case against him.
Judge Lewis J. Liman in Manhattan signed the order calling for the former New York City mayor and onetime personal lawyer to President-elect Donald Trump to appear before him on Jan. 3.
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Lawyers for the election workers who won a $148 million defamation judgment said in court papers that Giuliani has failed to turn over the lease to the apartment, a Mercedes, various watches and jewelry, a signed Joe DiMaggio shirt and other baseball mementos, among other items.
Giuliani also faces a trial Jan. 16 before Liman over the disposition of his Florida residence and World Series rings.
In October, Liman ordered Giuliani to turn over many of his prized possessions to the poll workers. Giuliani’s lawyers have predicted that Giuliani will eventually win custody of the items on appeal.
One of the attorneys, Joseph Cammarata, said he was confident that Giuliani would prevail at the contempt hearing, which he described as “another act of lawfare” imposed by the election workers' counsel.
“Their mission is to destroy Mayor Giuliani,” the emailed statement continued. “We look forward to deposing the Plaintiffs and prevailing at trial.”
The contempt hearing follows a contentious November hearing in which Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor, became angry at the judge and said Liman was treating him unfairly.
“The implication I’ve been not diligent about it is totally incorrect,” Giuliani said in a scolding tone as he described his efforts to obtain a replacement of the title to the car. “The implication you make is against me and every implication against me is wrong.”
At the hearing, Liman warned Giuliani's lawyers that Giuliani would not be allowed to interrupt a hearing again.
“He’s not going to be permitted to speak and the court will take action,” the judge said.
Giuliani was found liable last year for defaming the two Georgia poll workers by falsely accusing them of tampering with ballots during the 2020 presidential election.
The women said they faced death threats after Giuliani falsely claimed they sneaked in ballots in suitcases, counted ballots multiple times and tampered with voting machines.