Near the end of the trial in a defamation case brought by two former election workers in Georgia, Rudy Giuliani decided — for perhaps the first time in his life — that it would be better to keep his mouth shut. Though he was expected to testify in his own defense, the former New York mayor thought better of it — or more likely, his lawyers convinced him that a cross-examination would be a disastrous coda to a case that may bankrupt him. Giuliani’s silence didn’t avoid disaster, however: On Friday, a jury ordered him to pay nearly $150 million in damages for defaming former election workers Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and Ruby Freeman after the 2020 election.
Earlier this week, Giuliani’s lawyer told the jury that if his client had to pay the $43 million Moss and Freeman sought, it “will be the end of Mr. Giuliani.” But bankruptcy would be a healthy dose of accountability for a powerful man who decided to lie and slander two ordinary people who were doing nothing more than the job they had been hired for, in service to the operation of our democracy. This is a very bad moment for Giuliani, but a good moment for America. The case also shows that our legal system — in particular, how it deals with instances when one person makes knowingly false accusations against another with grave consequences — sometimes works exactly as it’s supposed to and produces something like justice.
Given the man on whose behalf Giuliani was acting, it’s particularly appropriate that he be punished.
Giuliani had already lost the case brought by Moss and Freeman. The two were election workers in Atlanta when they found themselves at the center of conspiracy theories and deranged accusations about election fraud coming from Donald Trump and his allies, particularly Giuliani.
In August, a judge found Giuliani “civilly liable on plaintiffs’ defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy, and punitive damage claims.” He admitted that he…
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