Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York and personal lawyer to Donald Trump, has been ordered to pay $148 million in damages to two former election workers he defamed with false claims about the 2020 presidential election.
A federal jury in Washington, DC, consisting of eight members, ruled on Friday that Giuliani should pay Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss $75 million in punitive damages, along with $36 million each for defamation and emotional distress. Giuliani had falsely claimed that they attempted to manipulate the election against Trump.
This decision follows Freeman and Moss, former poll workers in Fulton County, Georgia, testifying that Giuliani’s false claims subjected them to racist and sexist threats. In court, both women, who are black, expressed fearing for their lives after being falsely accused of hiding ballots, counting votes multiple times, and interfering with voting machines.
Freeman revealed that she had to leave her home after the FBI warned her of potential danger, while Moss shared that she seldom leaves her residence and experiences panic attacks.
Speaking to reporters after the verdict, Moss expressed the hope that no one, whether an election worker, voter, school board member, or anyone else, should go through what they experienced. She emphasized that everyone matters and is important.
A federal judge had previously found Giuliani liable in August, leaving the jury to determine the level of damages. Giuliani, maintaining that his election comments were unrelated to the threats the women faced, criticized the verdict as absurd, asserting that it would be swiftly overturned.
Giuliani’s lawyer, Joseph Sibley, acknowledged the harm caused by his client but argued that the $48 million penalty sought by the election workers would be devastating for Giuliani, describing him as a “good man.”
This ruling adds to Giuliani’s legal and financial challenges. He faces charges, along with Trump and others, for participating in an alleged plot to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Giuliani had his law licenses in New York and Washington, DC, suspended in 2021 over false statements about the election. He is also being sued by Hunter Biden for computer fraud and by a former employee for wage theft and sexual harassment.
