Giuliani Ordered to Pay $148 Million in Defamation Case Over False Election Rigging Claims
A jury has ruled that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani must pay $148 million to two former Georgia election workers, Rose Freeman and Shaye Moss, over false allegations of rigging the 2020 presidential polls against former President Donald Trump, as reported by The Hill.
The four-day civil trial featured harrowing testimony from Freeman and Moss, who shared the impact of facing a “torrent of racist and violent threats” following Giuliani’s accusations. Giuliani, Trump’s former lawyer, was previously found liable in the defamation case, and the jury’s recent task was to determine the damages.
The jury deliberated for over 10 hours before awarding a total of $148.7 million in damages. Moss is set to receive nearly $17 million for defamation and $20 million for emotional distress, while Freeman will receive almost $16.2 million for defamation and $20 million for emotional distress. Additionally, the mother-daughter duo was granted an extra $75 million in punitive damages, The Hill reported.
Despite the substantial amount, it remains uncertain how Giuliani will fulfill the payment.
Moss, addressing reporters after the verdict, expressed her and Freeman’s desire that no one else, including election workers, voters, or school board members, undergoes the ordeal they faced since Giuliani’s false claims were made. The women hope that nobody has to fight as hard to restore their name as they did.
Giuliani, who led Trump’s unsuccessful legal efforts to challenge the 2020 election results, continued to assert claims of election fraud even after the verdict. He dismissed the awarded sum as absurd, emphasizing his disagreement with the entire proceeding.
Giuliani’s accusations centered around a video showing Freeman and Moss counting ballots in State Farm Arena in Atlanta. He alleged, in December 2020, that the footage depicted the workers “pulling suitcases stuffed with ballots from under a table.” The women’s lawyers argued that their clients had suffered defamation, emotional distress, civil conspiracy, and warranted punitive damages.
