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ruby freeman
Giuliani Ordered to Pay $148 Million to Defamed Georgia Election Workers
"Today's verdict not only vindicates Freeman and Moss but also serves as a reminder that we must protect the unsung heroes of democracy—our dedicated poll workers," said the head of one watchdog.
Dec 15, 2023
A Washington, D.C. jury on Friday ordered Rudy Giuliani to pay $148 million for falsely accusing two former Georgia election workers of engaging in a non-existent conspiracy to "steal" the 2020 U.S. presidential election from then-President Donald Trump.
After deliberating for roughly 10 hours over two days, the jury sided with Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea ArShaye "Shaye" Moss, whom the former New York City mayor and Trump attorney accused of taking part in a fake ballot harvesting scheme while they worked as election officials in Fulton County, Georgia.
Giuliani accused the women of "surreptitiously passing around USB ports as if they are vials of heroin or cocaine" while they tallied ballots. In reality, the surveillance footage reviewed by Giuliani that informed his baseless claim showed Freeman handing Moss a ginger mint.
In August, Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
found Giuliani liable for defaming Freeman and Moss, and tasked a jury with determining monetary damages for the women, who endured death threats and harassment from Trump supporters.
"Today's a good day," Freeman said outside the courthouse after the decision was announced, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "A jury stood witness to what Rudy Giuliani did to me and my daughter, and held him accountable."
"I can never move back into the house that I called home. I will always have to be careful about where I go and who I choose to share my name with," Freeman continued. "I miss my home. I miss my neighbors. And I miss my name."
"Rudy Giuliani was not the only one who spread lies about us, and others must be held accountable, too," she added. "But that is tomorrow's work."
Moss said, "We hope no one ever has to fight so hard just to get your name back."
Christina Harvey, executive director at the government corruption watchdog Stand Up America, said that "today's verdict not only vindicates Freeman and Moss but also serves as a reminder that we must protect the unsung heroes of democracy—our dedicated poll workers."
"Sadly, 1 in 6 local election workers has faced threats while carrying out their duties, reflecting the country's increasingly hostile political landscape," Harvey added. "Working the polls shouldn't mean putting your safety or reputation at risk. Congress should do more to protect poll workers, and that starts with including robust election infrastructure funding in the upcoming appropriations package."
Giuliani vowed to appeal the decision.
"The absurdity of the number merely underscores the absurdity of the entire proceeding, where I've not been allowed to offer one single piece of evidence in defense, which I have a lot," he said outside the courthouse. "I am quite confident when this case gets before a fair tribunal, it'll be reversed so quickly it will make your head spin."
Giuliani, Trump—who is the GOP's 2024 presidential front-runner—and others face felony criminal charges in Fulton County for trying to steal the 2020 presidential election.
In July, an attorney discipline panel ruled that Giuliani has "forfeited his right to practice law" and should be disbarred in Washington, D.C. for leading Trump's legal team as it tried to overturn the election results.
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Federal Judge Finds Giuliani Liable for Defaming Two Georgia Election Workers
U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell ripped Rudy Giuliani for "donning a cloak of victimization" after making defamatory statements against Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.
Aug 30, 2023
A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that Rudy Giuliani, former President Donald Trump's erstwhile personal attorney, is legally liable for defaming Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, Georgia election workers who have endured death threats and harassment since Giuliani falsely accused them of committing fraud during the 2020 presidential contest.
Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia wrote in a scathing 57-page opinion that "rather than simply play by the rules designed to promote a discovery process necessary to reach a fair decision on the merits of plaintiffs' claims, Giuliani has bemoaned plaintiffs' efforts to secure his compliance as 'punishment by process.'"
"Donning a cloak of victimization may play well on a public stage to certain audiences," Howell added, "but in a court of law this performance has served only to subvert the normal process of discovery in a straightforward defamation case, with the concomitant necessity of repeated court intervention."
A jury will be tasked with deciding how much Giuliani will have to pay in damages to Freeman and Moss, whom the former New York City mayor accused of "surreptitiously passing around USB ports as if they are vials of heroin or cocaine" as they counted ballots in Georgia.
In reality, what Giuliani saw in surveillance footage was Freeman handing Moss—her daughter—a ginger mint, Moss said in congressional testimony last year.
Giuliani, who spearheaded the Trump legal team's effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, also claimed Freeman and Moss were engaged in a scheme involving "suitcases" stuffed with ballots. But what Giuliani said were suitcases were in fact official ballot containers.
Last month, Giuliani
agreed not to contest that he made false and defamatory statements about Freeman and Moss.
CNNreported Wednesday that the damages owed to Freeman and Moss "could amount to thousands if not millions of dollars."
"Giuliani has already been sanctioned almost $90,000 for Freeman and Moss' attorneys' fees in the case, and Howell says the former New York mayor may be saddled with additional similar sanctions," the outlet added. "Giuliani has been struggling financially, buried under 2020 election legal proceedings, a new criminal case against him in Georgia related to efforts to overturn the election, and other matters. He has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges in Georgia and has been released from jail on bond."
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