A Washington, DC, jury has ordered Rudy Giuliani to pay nearly $150 million to two Georgia election workers for the harm caused by defamatory statements he made about them following the 2020 election.
Ruby Freeman was awarded about $16,171,000 for defamation and $20 million for emotional distress. Shaye Moss was awarded about $16,998,000 for defamation and $20 million for emotional distress. The jury also awarded $75 million in punitive damages to both plaintiffs.
Giuliani was found liable this summer for defamation against Freeman and Moss after failing to respond to parts of their lawsuit. The mother and daughter claimed in their case that they have suffered emotional and reputational harm as well as having their safety put in danger after Giuliani singled them out when he made false claims of ballot tampering in Georgia.
During the trial, an attorney for Freeman and Moss showed videos and played audio clips in which Giuliani repeated false claims that the two election workers stuffed ballots and were caught on video allegedly passing a USB drive as part of a vote-stealing scheme.
None of those claims were true, and the supposed USB drive was a ginger mint.
In emotional testimony delivered over the course of two days, Freeman and Moss described the flood of harassing and threatening messages they received after Giuliani and others, including former President Donald Trump, began attacking them. They told the jury how their personal and professional lives were upended by the lies, including through the loss of job opportunities, their communities, and, they said, their personal identities.
“It feels like I’m trapped under someone else’s boot of power,” Moss testified Tuesday. “I can’t do anything, I feel helpless, and the only thing that’s surrounding me is the lies.”
Testifying a day later, Freeman appeared visibly…
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