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

Shaye Moss grew so fearful for her life after threats poured in that she stopped going out in public, and only recently, she testified, did she build up the courage to leave her home alone, without security.

She did so at the behest of her therapist.

"That was actually her homework for me," Moss said of her therapist's request that she visit a public place by herself.

"I did once," Moss said. She testified that she drove alone to a local restaurant, where she found a quiet seat located at the end of the bar.

"I was so terrified. I felt extremely nauseous," she said. "I was very proud of myself. But unfortunately I have not been able to do that again."

Shaye Moss broke into tears under a line of questioning from defense attorney Joseph Sibley about the adverse health effects she attributes to Giuliani's defamatory statements about her.

Sibley asked Moss to repeat the names of two mental health diagnoses she received from therapists since the 2020 election. When Moss intimated that she had additional ailments that could be tied to Giuliani's conduct, Sibley asked, "What other issues do you have?"

Moss' attorney objected to the question. As the judge consulted privately with counsel from both parties, Moss held her hands to her face and could be seen wiping tears from her cheeks.

Shortly before this exchange, Moss said her mental anguish had been exacerbated by her inability to work. She described conversations with her therapist about taking time to heal before jumping back into a job.

"Before, I had purpose, at least," Moss said. Now, she said, "most days I pray God won't wake me up and I disappear."

Under cross-examination by Giuliani attorney Joseph Sibley, Shaye Moss was asked how she could be sure that it was his client's remarks that inspired throngs of strangers to level racist and vile threats against her and her family.

Moss said those strangers "were parroting his exact words."

She testified that right-wing news outlet Gateway Pundit and the Trump campaign used language similar to Giuliani's in smearing her.

"It was like the torch for the Olympics," she said. "They pass it from person to person to person."

Shaye Moss returned to the witness stand after the midday break to be questioned by Giuliani attorney Joseph Sibley, who asked her about her efforts to rehabilitate her reputation -- probing what steps she has taken to mend her name online.

Moss said she had pays a service $140 per year to monitor her name online and protect her identity, but that "it's incredibly difficult" to repair her reputation "when powerful people keep spewing lies about us."

"How could you work in law if people were saying, like, that you were a horrible lawyer?" Moss asked Sibley.

"You'd be surprised," Sibley quipped.

Asked how much money she believes she is owed for Giuliani's lies, Moss said, "I'm relying on the experts."

"I want to vindicate myself," she said. "I want to receive some type of justice."