Giuliani Should Be Sanctioned for Stonewalling, Poll Workers Say

Two Georgia poll workers who won a $148 million defamation suit against Rudolph Giuliani asked a federal judge to sanction him for “attempting to stonewall” the preparation process for a January trial.

Giuliani hasn’t complied with two court orders that required him to produce documents by Nov. 26 or risk being held in contempt, according to a Thursday filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The Jan. 16 trial is related to Giuliani’s Palm Beach, Fla., condo that the poll workers have been attempting to seize since March. The former New York mayor went into bankruptcy in December 2023 and has since been booted out of Chapter 11.

“The time has come for” the district court to hold the former Donald Trump lawyer in contempt for violating the October and November orders, as well as disobeying multiple discovery orders, Georgia poll workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea’ Moss said in their filing.

“Severe discovery sanctions are warranted given Mr. Giuliani’s willful flouting of multiple orders of this Court, his history of refusing to participate in discovery even in the face of possible sanctions, and his conscious disregard of the inevitable consequence of his conduct,” the filing said.

Attorneys representing Giuliani didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Giuliani filed for bankruptcy in December 2023, days after the poll workers won the $148 million default judgment. But in July his case was thrown out after months of stalled progress, leaving him without protection from all of his creditors to whom he owed more than $150 million total.

The poll workers won the judgment in 2023 after Giuliani was found to have defamed the pair by accusing them rigging the 2020 presidential election.

Giuliani was ordered to turn over his Mercedes-Benz in November. He also, in October, lost his Manhattan apartment, as well as jewelry and other assets.

His former attorneys, Kenneth Caruso of New York and David Labkowski of Florida, who represented him from September 2023 until last month, were allowed to withdraw from this case.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, DuBose Miller LLC, and United to Protect Democracy represent the poll workers. Cammarata & De Meyer PC represents Giuliani.

The case is Freeman v. Giuliani, Bankr. S.D.N.Y., No. 24-cv-06563, sanctions motion 12/5/24.