In a landmark decision, former Trump campaign attorney Rudy Giuliani has been ordered to pay a staggering $148 million to two former Georgia election workers, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother Ruby Freeman, whom he falsely accused of election fraud following the 2020 election. The verdict was delivered at the conclusion of a week-long federal civil trial in Washington, D.C.
During the trial, Moss and Freeman testified about the severe impact of the election conspiracies spread by Giuliani and former President Donald Trump. Moss, expressing genuine fear for her life, detailed the emotional distress caused by the false accusations. Giuliani’s unfounded claims led to a barrage of violent and racist voicemails targeting the women.
Giuliani used his significant platform as a campaign attorney for Trump to propagate lies about Moss and Freeman’s actions as election workers in Georgia. He falsely asserted that a video from an absentee ballot counting facility showed the two women cheating and scanning ballots multiple times to favor Joe Biden. However, a hand-count audit in Georgia and a lengthy investigation by the Georgia secretary of state’s office found no wrongdoing on their part.
In August, district Judge Beryl Howell held Giuliani liable for defamation due to his lack of cooperation in the case, and Giuliani conceded that his statements about Moss and Freeman were false. The trial this week focused on determining the damages owed to the two women.
Following the verdict, Freeman stated outside the court that while the money won’t restore her past life or her name, their greatest wish is that no one, whether an election worker, voter, school board member, or anyone else, experiences the trauma they endured.
This ruling serves as a significant legal repercussion for spreading baseless election-related conspiracy theories and underscores the accountability of those who misuse their influence to tarnish the reputations and lives of individuals.