An angry Rudy Giuliani lost his temper in the courtroom on Tuesday, lashing out at the judge overseeing his defamation damages payout, saying, “I can’t pay my bills.”
The former New York mayor and Donald Trump’s lawyer was captured in a now-viral courtroom sketch by Gene Rosenberg, angrily pointing at Judge Louis Lyman.
“The implications you are making against me are wrong. I have no car, no credit card, no money, everything I own is tied up, they have put stop orders on my business accounts, and I can’t pay my bills! With them in the amount of 148 million US dollars to restrict all his assets.
The $148 million judgment stems from Giuliani’s role in pushing Trump’s baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.
Giuliani, who has since been disbarred in New York and Washington, falsely accused election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea (Shay) Moss of ballot fraud, saying they snuck ballots into suitcases, counted ballots multiple times and tampered with voting machines.
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Freeman and Moss sued for defamation and said the false claims led to death threats that left them fearing for their lives.
Lyman previously threatened Giuliani with civil contempt for failing to turn over assets, including a luxury apartment in Manhattan, to partially cover what he owed.
Giuliani’s lawyer, Joseph Cammarata, told Lehman that his client had handed over more than 90 percent of the assets.
But the judge cast doubt on Giuliani’s alleged difficulties securing paperwork to turn in his 1980 Mercedes — the one he drove to vote in the presidential election three weeks earlier — saying Giuliani’s previous job as Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor was a sign he was fully competent. .
Rudy Giuliani, former attorney for former US President Donald Trump, speaks to members of the media outside a polling place for the 2024 presidential election at the Mandel Community Center in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
Josh Ritchie/Bloomberg via Getty Images
After Giuliani’s outburst on Tuesday, Lyman warned him that he could not speak again in court unless he testified under oath because his lawyer should do the talking.
The judge said Giuliani could either choose to represent himself or allow lawyers to do so, but “you can’t have hybrid representation.”
“There should be no higher priority for your client right now than complying with court orders. Period,” Lyman told Cammarata.
The trial, scheduled for January 16, 2025, will determine whether Giuliani must turn over Florida sports memorabilia and property.
Lyman separately rejected Giuliani’s request to postpone the trial so he could attend events associated with Trump’s inauguration on January 20. Giuliani still consults regularly with Trump, Cammarata said.
“The defendant’s social assessment does not constitute a valid reason,” Lehman said.
Giuliani has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona that he aided Trump’s failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
— With files from Reuters and The Associated Press
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