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.
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.
