Giuliani defamation trial: Jury awards election workers nearly $150 million

The amount is three times as much as plaintiffs were seeking.

ByLucien Bruggeman and Laura Romero
Last Updated: December 15, 2023, 5:11 PM EST

Following a week-long trial, a federal jury has ordered former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to pay nearly $150 million to former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea "Shaye" Moss for defaming them with false accusations that the mother and daughter committed election fraud while the two were counting ballots in Georgia's Fulton County on Election Day in 2020.

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in August awarded a default judgment to the two women, leaving the trial to determine the full scope of the damages and penalties. Freeman and Moss were seeking between $15.5 million and an amount in the $40 million range.

Top headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Dec 11, 2023, 9:53 AM EST

Ruling could be another blow to Giuliani's finances

The $15.5 million to $43 million that Freeman and Moss are seeking from Giuliani reflects the emotional distress and monetary losses associated with the former mayor's defamatory comments, according to attorneys for the mother and daughter.

If the plaintiffs receive anywhere near those figures, it would mark the latest financial blow to a man who once raked in tens of millions of dollars through security consulting and speaking fees.

Judge Beryl Howell has already ordered Giuliani to pay Freeman and Moss upwards of $230,000 as a sanction for failing to comply with the discovery process of sharing information relevant to the case. In court filings over the summer, Giuliani's lawyer asked the judge if Giuliani could defer payment, citing the former mayor's "financial difficulties" as a result of fighting a slew of litigation elsewhere.

Giuliani stands to owe millions more if he loses cases brought by two voting machine companies and his own longtime personal attorney, among other legal challenges he faces. Giuliani has denied all claims.

Dec 11, 2023, 8:24 AM EST

Jury selection begins this morning

Jury selection in the case gets underway at the D.C. federal courthouse this morning, where eight Washington residents will be chosen to serve.

Jurors will be tasked with attaching a monetary value to the harm caused by the defamatory statements a judge found Rudy Giuliani liable for making in the wake of the 2020 presidential election.

When the parties arrive in court this morning, it will be the first time Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss face Giuliani in person.

Related Topics