Rudy Giuliani Hit with $148 Million Verdict in Election Defamation Case
In a landmark decision reported by The Washington Post, a federal jury has ordered Rudy Giuliani to pay a staggering $148 million to two Black election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea ArShaye “Shaye” Moss, who sued him for defamation.
Giuliani is ordered to pay $75 million in punitive damages and $73 million in compensatory damages for defamation and emotional distress.
The lawsuit asserted that Giuliani, former attorney of Donald Trump, subjected them to severe abuse and trauma by promoting false claims that they helped steal the 2020 election in Georgia.
The panel, consisting of five women and three men in Washington, deliberated for over nine hours before delivering a penalty that exceeded three times the $48 million sought by the workers. The judgment marks the first significant legal consequence against an individual in Trump's circle for spreading the unfounded myth of election fraud that helped elect President Joe Biden.
This decision comes after Giuliani's law license was suspended over his false election statements, placing him among Trump advisers facing legal repercussions. Fox News previously agreed to pay almost $780 million to Dominion Voting Systems for false claims that the network propagated regarding the 2020 election.
Giuliani, described as "Co-conspirator 1" in Trump's federal indictment for obstructing the 2020 election, faces criminal charges in Georgia related to efforts to overturn Biden's victory. The $148 million verdict serves as a potentially ominous sign for him considering these legal challenges.
The lawsuit against Giuliani, filed by Fulton County, Ga. election workers, is part of a broader legal landscape in which Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic have separate lawsuits against media entities, Giuliani, Sidney Powell and others. Trump also faces lawsuits for damages from Democratic lawmakers and Capitol Police officers for the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.
Unrepentant after the ruling, Giuliani said, “The absurdity of the number underscores the absurdity of the entire proceeding. I have not been allowed to offer one single piece of evidence in defense, of which I have a lot.”
U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell previously found Giuliani liable based on his admissions and refusal to provide essential information.
