Giuliani Held in Contempt Again for False Accusations Against Georgia Election Workers

Rudy Giuliani, the former attorney for President-elect Donald Trump, has faced contempt of court rulings for the second time this week in connection with false accusations he made against two Georgia election workers. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell determined that Giuliani had breached a prior court agreement which prohibited him from alleging any wrongdoing by Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss.

Earlier in the week, Giuliani was already found to be in civil contempt by another federal judge in New York after failing to comply with requests for information from Freeman and Moss. The two women initiated these legal actions to enforce a substantial $148 million judgment they won against Giuliani in 2023, stemming from a separate lawsuit in Washington in which they accused him of damaging their reputations with unfounded claims that they were involved in illegal ballot counting following the 2020 election. Giuliani is contesting this judgment.

This latest contempt ruling adds to the growing list of legal challenges faced by the 80-year-old Giuliani related to his attempts to contest Trump’s 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. He has been disbarred for spreading false claims and has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in both Georgia and Arizona.

The legal representatives for Freeman and Moss accused Giuliani of contravening the court agreement by claiming during a podcast that video evidence showed them involved in improper ballot activities. In response, Giuliani's lawyers contended that it was ambiguous whether he was specifically talking about the two women, as he did not name them. They further argued that his statements were a protected expression of his legal stance regarding his appeal.

The agreement that was established in May 2024 upon the jury's decision in favor of Freeman and Moss prohibits Giuliani from making any public statements implying wrongdoing on their part related to the 2020 election, as well as from repeating previously labeled defamatory claims.