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 that 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.
“It’s totally my fault,” he said. “I don’t know how to emphasize to you the pressures.”
