'How could you have missed that?' Federal judge tears into Giuliani attorney over missed hearing
US District Judge Beryl Howell was reportedly "incredulous" over Rudy Giuliani's failure to attend a court hearing in which the two Georgia election workers who are suing him for defamation were due to face him in person.
According to Politico, the former New York City mayor was absent in Washington, DC this morning for his scheduled appearance to face Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who faced a wave of threats and harassment from supporters of former President Donald Trump in the wake of the 2020 election. While acting in his capacity as the ex-president's attorney, Giuliani insinuated without evidence that Freeman and Moss were passing around USB drives in Georgia voting precincts in order to manipulate the vote tally against Trump. Giuliani's attorney, Joe Sibley, said Giuliani's failure to appear was an administrative oversight and took blame.
"How could you have missed that?" Howell said during the hearing. She also asked Sibley if he was "falling on his sword" for his client.
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Sibley said "my mistake" when prodded by Howell, saying that he simply misunderstood her order for Giuliani to appear in-person at the last hearing before Freeman and Moss' case goes before a jury next week.
Giuliani has already been found liable for defaming both Freeman and Moss, and next week's jury trial will determine how much the former mayor will be on the hook to pay. Giuliani's financial woes have only been piling up in recent weeks, with one of his former attorneys suing him alleging he owed the firm nearly $1.4 million in compensation. Additionally, the accounting firm that Giuliani hired to help with with his 2018 divorce is also suing him for unpaid expenses.
The former Trump attorney is also a co-defendant in the ongoing Georgia RICO case in which Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis alleges that he and over a dozen others conspired to subvert the will of Georgia voters in the 2020 election. After his prior representation withdrew counsel, Giuliani retained a "country lawyer" from rural Georgia to defend him. If he's found guilty, Giuliani could serve up to 20 years in a Georgia state prison.
READ MORE: Giuliani hires 'country lawyer' to defend him in Georgia RICO case after weeks without attorney
