Rudy Giuliani is facing financial ruin after a court ordered him to pay a staggering $148 million for defaming two Georgia poll workers he accused of trying to steal the 2020 election from Joe Biden .
The bombshell verdict dealt a catastrophic blow to the 79-year-old former New York mayor and was a vindication for campaign officials Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who said his allegations unleashed a barrage of threats that have made their lives miserable.
The mother-daughter duo said Giuliani's lies about engaging in voter fraud to rig the election against Donald Trump made them afraid to leave their homes and left them unable to find work.
Giuliani called the damages an “absurd number” and claimed the case will be overturned on appeal “so quickly your head will spin.”
The jury in Washington DC deliberated for ten hours before reaching a unanimous verdict awarding the incredible sums, including:
- $75 million in punitive damages;
- $20 million each for emotional distress;
- $16 million for Freeman and $17 million for Moss for defamation of character
Rudy Giuliani is facing financial ruin after a court ordered him to pay a staggering $148 million for defaming two Georgia poll workers he accused of trying to steal the 2020 election from Joe Biden
Giuliani called the damages an “absurd number” and claimed the case will be overturned on appeal “so quickly your head will spin.”
That added up to a staggering $148 million – an amount that appears to far exceed Giuliani's ability to pay.
He is already facing a series of financial setbacks, criminal allegations and other civil suits.
The judge appeared to stumble as she read the verdict, stunned by the amounts awarded by the jury, and an audible gasp was heard in the courtroom.
Plaintiffs' lawyers had sought $48 million in damages, but the jury decided to award Freeman and Moss $100 million more.
In court, Freeman said: “Money will never solve all my problems.” I can never move back into the house I call home. I will always have to be careful where I go and who I share my name with. I miss my home. I miss my neighbors and I miss my name.'
Moss said, “Our greatest wish is that no one – no poll worker, no voter, no school board member or anyone else – ever experiences anything like what we went through.”
“The lies that Rudy Giuliani told about me and my mother after the 2020 presidential election changed our lives and the last few years have been devastating,” Moss said of her and Freeman.
The bombshell verdict dealt a catastrophic blow to the former New York mayor and was a vindication for campaign officials Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who said his allegations unleashed a barrage of threats that made their lives miserable
Giuliani criticized the decision and said he would appeal and seek a new trial.
“The absurdity of the number simply underlines the absurdity of the entire process.”
He said he decided not to testify at the trial because “frankly it wouldn't do any good.”
Giuliani called his previous comments “supportable” but claimed he “did not have an opportunity” to provide evidence in the case.
The former New York mayor also criticized “deplorable” comments the two women received from others following his allegations, but did not take responsibility for them.
When pressed on why he didn't testify, he said, “I believe the judge threatened me with the strong possibility of contempt or even prison time.”
The amount of the award likely leaves it open to appeal, awaiting a legal battle over what the final figure should be and how to ensure that the 79-year-old Giuliani pays at least part of it.
This came after Giuliani doubled down on his accusations against Freeman and Moss outside the courthouse on Monday.
During the trial, Moss testified that her life was “turned upside down” by Giuliani's false claims that she was involved in election fraud.
Her lawyer, Michael Gottlieb, urged the jury to “send a message” by imposing a harsh financial sentence on the former New York mayor.
The jury in Washington DC deliberated for ten hours before reaching a unanimous verdict awarding the incredible sums
An expert, Ashlee Humphreys of Northwestern University, had told the court that the two women should receive between $18 million and $48 million to make up for the loss of reputation.
Giuliani repeatedly invoked Freeman and Moss while serving as a key figure in Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Humphreys said in court this week that there was a massive outpouring of misinformation about her online after Giuliani and former President Donald Trump accused them of rigging the vote count.
Moss said she was subjected to hundreds of racist messages and threats, including messages that said “We know where you sleep” and “You're dead.”
The court heard that there were 33 million online impressions of Freeman, whom Trump once described as a “professional election fraudster” in a phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
The judge responsible had already issued a default judgment against Giuliani, so the main focus of the proceedings was to make an assessment of the damages he would have to pay.
Giuliani was already in grave financial danger before the jury's verdict.
His defense attorney, Joseph Sibley, argued in court Monday that the two workers were seeking the “civil law equivalent of the death penalty.”
He put his Manhattan co-op on the market for $6.5 million, and his former lawyer Robert Costello and his law firm sued him in the fall over $1.4 million in unpaid bills stemming from multiple investigations were.
There was an expectation that Giuliani would come forward in his own defense. But after he said Wednesday that he intended to do so, his lawyer ultimately didn't call him.
The former mayor of New York appears at the hearing
The jury decided the damages that should be awarded to Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, a former Georgia poll worker, and her mother, Ruby Freeman (right).
Giuliani's lawyer, Joseph Sibley, had to rely on Giuliani's previous biography. He invoked his role as mayor of New York City on September 11, calling him a “good man.” Reflecting the evidence he was faced with, he admitted that “my client behaved unlawfully” towards the defendants. He asked for a lower amount, although he admitted that Moss and Freeman had been injured.
There was a possible signal Thursday evening after the jury began its deliberations and then asked the judge if they could review a presentation from Humphreys about her damages calculations.
The judge denied the request and the jury ultimately went home for the night.
It came after a trial in which Giuliani's lawyer had to contend with a difficult issue and a talkative client.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell reprimanded Giuliani for his appearance on a podcast in which he called the case a “political assassination” and attacked the integrity of the band of lawyers arrayed against him.
He had said: “There might be some questions about exactly how political this is” and mentioned that money “comes from different directions.”
After being directly admonished, Giuliani responded to the judge, “I thought I could make comments to the attorney,” but promised not to do so again in the future.
The judge didn't believe it and said so. “A lot of accidents happen here, Mr. Giuliani,” she said.
The verdict comes as Giuliani faces criminal prosecution after being indicted in connection with a conspiracy to overturn the election on Trump's behalf in that state. He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
Giuliani had alleged that Moss and Freeman pulled out “suitcases” full of ballots during the counting at State Farm Arena in Atlanta and claimed they inserted a USB drive into voting machines. However, the Georgian Foreign Minister's investigation found that the claims circulating against her online were “unfounded.”