Rudy Giuliani erupts at NYC federal judge as January trial date set in $148M defamation case

Rudy Giuliani erupted in Manhattan court Tuesday — whining that the judge was unfairly “against him” — as he failed to wriggle out of a January trial date in his $148 million defamation case.“Every implication that you’ve made is against me!” Giuliani, the disbarred former US Attorney for the Southern District, shouted at Judge Lewis Liman during a hearing in Manhattan federal court.The 80-year-old former New York City mayor threw a tamper tantrum after Liman questioned why Giuliani had not yet turned over the title to his 1980 Mercedes convertible to the two Georgia election workers he defamed after the 2020 presidential election.“Your client is a competent person.He was the US Attorney in this district,” Liman said, addressing Giuliani’s lawyer.

“The notion that the can’t apply for a title certificate,” he continued — before Giuliani cut him off.“I did apply for it!” Giuliani pleaded.“What am I supposed to do, make it up myself? Your implication that I have not been diligent about it is totally incorrect.”The embattled former mayor then accused the judge of unfairly characterizing his claim that he has limited access to assets as telling the court that he’s “impoverished.”“I’m not impoverished … Everything I have is tied up,” Giuliani claimed, adding without evidence that someone had placed a “stop order” on his Social Security account.The judge then warned him not to speak again.“Your client can either represent himself by counsel or appear pro se,” Liman said, referring to the legal term for self-representation.

“He can’t do both.”The Jan.16 trial will decide whether Giuliani will be able to hang on to his Palm Beach, Florida condo, and if he’ll have to turn over his Yankees World Series rings — which he claims were a gift to his son Andrew — to the election workers while he appeals a Washington DC trial judgment against him in the defamation case....