'How could you have missed that?': Giuliani absent at defamation hearing despite court order

A federal judge slammed an attorney for Rudy Giuliani from the bench Tuesday after the former New York City mayor failed to appear for a hearing tied to the defamation case brought against him by election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.

“How could you have missed that?” U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell bristled at Giuliani’s attorney Joseph Sibley, Politico reported.

The question was prompted after Sibley told the court he misunderstood an earlier order from the judge that Giuliani must show up in person for the final hearing before the trial determining civil damages gets to a jury next week.

Both Freeman and Moss — who are mother and daughter — sued Giuliani for falsely and repeatedly declaring that they were manipulating ballots at the State Farm Arena in Georgia in 2020, something former President Donald Trump also promoted publicly.