Rudy Giuliani to pay $148 million in defamation case while still facing criminal charges in 2024
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Rudy Giuliani was ordered to pay $148 million in damages to two former election workers, whom he accused of committing election fraud during the 2020 presidential election, in a civil defamation case verdict on Friday.
The plaintiffs Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, were seeking at least $24 million for every defamatory statement Giuliani made. A social media expert in her testimony said the cost of repairing their reputation would be between $17.8 million to $47.8 million.
During the three-day trial, Freeman testified about experiencing distress as she received threats from strangers after Giuliani publicly made false statements. The FBI advised her to move out of her home until President Joe Biden’s inauguration, so Freeman moved from one Airbnb to another for two months.
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U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell oversaw the trial. Earlier in August, she ruled that Giuliani defamed the former election workers and was liable for damages.
Giuliani was hit with this hefty financial blow as he grapples with a myriad of legal troubles. In Washington, D.C., his license to practice law is under threat over his “destructive” efforts to help President Donald Trump stay in power. He also faces several racketeering charges in Georgia for attempting to overturn the last presidential election. Giuliani has pleaded not guilty to the 13 felony counts.
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The former New York mayor backed out of testifying, but he spoke candidly to reporters outside the courtroom in the past week, telling them he didn’t regret making statements regarding Freeman and Moss since they were true.
“I mean, if he had taken the stand, imagine what a catastrophe that would’ve been. This man is a pathological liar. He can’t help himself,” said CNN legal analyst Elie Honig Thursday.
Giuliani’s “lack of remorse” going into the trial was “the single worst legal strategy ever devised by a human mind,” Honig added.
Giuliani’s lawyer, Joseph Sibley, argued that The Gateway Pundit, a staunchly right-wing website, should also bear responsibility for allegedly doxxing the two women. The attorney urged the jury to remember Giuliani as “America’s Mayor” despite his wrongdoing, according to Courthouse News Service.
“I know these women were harmed and I’m not asking for a hall pass, but this is a man who’s done great things,” Sibley said. “Although he hasn’t done great things lately, I want you to remember this is a good man.”
