What Happened to Rudy Giuliani? Understanding the $148M Verdict for Defamation in Georgia Elections
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani has been ordered to pay $148 million in damages to a pair of Georgia election workers he repeatedly and falsely accused of fraud. A federal jury awarded Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, the sum after a four-day trial. During the trial, the plaintiffs testified that Giuliani’s lies in support of former President Donald Trump’s bogus stolen election claims subjected them to a torrent of racist and violent threats and turned their lives upside down.
The amount awarded to Freeman and Moss was for three damages — defamation, punitive, and emotional distress. The plaintiffs were awarded $20 million each for emotional distress and $75 million between them in punitive damages. Freeman was separately awarded just over $16 million in defamation damages, while Moss was awarded almost $17 million.
Giuliani called the dollar amount “absurd” and told reporters he would appeal. However, this verdict compounds a bleak financial picture for the former New York City mayor, who’s said that his efforts to overturn the 2020 election have taken a toll on his finances when facing several legal challenges.
Giuliani had repeatedly accused the pair of election fraud in the wake of Trump’s loss in Georgia and circulated a brief, heavily edited clip of security footage that he told a legislative committee in Georgia showed them passing USB drives “like vials of heroin or cocaine” during ballot-counting operations. Moss said the “USB drive” was a ginger mint.
Despite findings from the pair’s former bosses and a yearslong investigation that they did nothing wrong, Giuliani has accused them of being fraudsters. In remarks to reporters after Monday’s first day of trial, Giuliani said, “When I testify, you’ll get the whole story, and it will be definitively clear what I said was true.”
The verdict indicates that false accusations and misinformation have serious consequences. Giuliani’s lies in support of former President Donald Trump’s bogus stolen election claims have subjected Freeman and her daughter to a torrent of racist and violent threats and turned their lives upside down. The verdict should serve as a warning to others who peddle false claims and misinformation.
Political leaders and public figures need to be held accountable for their actions. The ruling against Giuliani in this defamation case should clearly show that defamation and spreading false information will not be tolerated. It is time for public figures to be more responsible and accountable for their actions and words.
In conclusion, the verdict against Giuliani should be a lesson to all public figures about the importance of honesty and accountability. False claims and misinformation have serious consequences, and the ruling against Giuliani should serve as a warning to others who peddle fraudulent claims and misinformation. Let us hope this verdict will inspire political leaders and public figures to be more responsible and accountable for their actions and words.
