According to media reports, Rudy Giuliani, former private lawyer for former US President Donald Trump, was ordered to pay $148 million (€135.54 million) in damages for defamation. According to US media, the verdict was announced yesterday after two election officials sued Giuliani over a video in which he falsely accused them of voter fraud following the November 2020 presidential election.
Giuliani must pay both plaintiffs nearly $37 million each for defamation and its psychological consequences for women, as well as $75 million in damages. In an initial reaction, the Republican described the punishment as “absurd”. “I will definitely appeal,” announced the lawyer.
Found guilty in August
The responsible US federal judge had already found Giuliani guilty in August of defaming 64-year-old Ruby Freeman and her 39-year-old daughter Wandrea Moss. The two women received national attention last year when they testified before the congressional committee investigating the attack on the Capitol.
“I don’t want to go anywhere anymore. “I question everything,” Moss said at the time. People threatened her and wished her death. The two black women accused Giuliani, saying her allegations destroyed their reputations and led to numerous threats, including racist ones, against them.