Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani skipped out on a court hearing in Manhattan Friday where a judge ordered the 78-year-old to pay his ex-wife over $225,000 as part of a divorce settlement, or he could wind up in jail.
Judge Michael Katz said Giuliani is in contempt of court and has until next month to make the payment, including $10,000 in attorney fees, as first reported by the NY Post. If Giuliani doesn't pay by Oct. 7, he could be arrested.
Judith Giuliani had asked the judge to hold her former husband in contempt for falling behind on his payments under their 2019 divorce settlement.
During Giuliani's last court appearance, he told the judge that his third wife's claim that he owes her $260,000 is a “gross exaggeration” and he really owes her about $50,000.
“I do owe her money but I don’t owe her $260,000,” Giuliani, a legal adviser to former President Donald Trump, told the judge in state court.
Katz told Giuliani earlier that he was in default for not having filed papers in response to Judith’s allegations. The former mayor conceded the error but said, “I’m being sued in ten different cases. I’m getting ready for two massive hearings,” the NY Post reported.
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“It’s totally my fault,” he said. “I don’t know how to emphasize to you the pressures.”
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Judith Giuliani's lawyer Dror Bikel told the judge that his client has no income and suggested that Giuliani write her a check.
“That certainly would show good faith,” Katz said.
Rudy Giuliani turned to other matters including his testimony to a Georgia grand jury last month regarding attempts by Trump and his supporters to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
“I had a very good experience with them,” Giuliani said, according to the Daily News. “They told me they were very satisfied with my testimony. They thought they had completed it, but I said if you have any more questions… I did nothing wrong in Georgia. Did nothing wrong anywhere.”
Rudy and Judith Giuliani were married for 15 years. Giuliani was previously married for 20 years to Donna Hanover, the mother of his two children. Before that, he was married for 14 years to his second cousin, Regina Peruggi. That marriage was annulled.
