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

When Rudy Giuliani accused Ruby Freeman of "surreptitiously" passing her daughter a USB drive while the two were counting ballots on Election Day at State Farm Arena -- a central tenet of his false claims about the two women -- what he actually saw, according to Freeman, was something far less sinister: a ginger mint.

As Freeman took the stand, her attorney entered a ginger mint into evidence -- and Freeman passed the judge a ginger mint, too.

"I'm going to use this," Judge Beryl Howell said.

Freeman explained that she always has the candies with her. She passes them out to clients of her clothing boutique and those in need.

"I felt that it was healthy," she testified.

Freeman, who always went by "Lady Ruby," said she can no longer use her nickname publicly or in business.

"I can't use my name anymore, so I'm not Lady Ruby," she said as her voice cracked. "Sometimes I don't know who I am."

Ruby Freeman, the mother of Shaye Moss and her former co-worker in the Fulton County elections office, has taken the witness stand.

Freeman introduced herself to the jury as "Lady Ruby" as questioning got underway.

Giuliani's unfounded claims about the two women prompted a deluge of threats that ultimately drove Freeman from her suburban Atlanta home, she told ABC News' Terry Moran in an exclusive interview last year.

Giuliani attorney Joseph Sibley scrutinized the credibility of the communications expert whose report on the reach of Giuliani's defamatory statements underpins the plaintiffs' request for tens of millions of dollars in damages.

Dr. Ashlee Humphreys, an expert witness for plaintiffs Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, fielded questions about the methodology she used to compile a report on the reputational harm that was done to the mother and daughter. Sibley sought to poke holes in that research as part of an effort to cast doubt on her findings.

"Reputation repair campaigns such as this are common," Humphreys said in response.

Sibley also highlighted Humphreys' participation as an expert witness in other cases, including in the defamation lawsuit filed against former President Trump by the writer E. Jean Carroll, and a case involving the conservative media outlet Gateway Pundit.

Noting that her past expert witness work exclusively targeted right-wing figures, Sibley asked, "Is there a reason for that?"

"No," she replied.

Communications expert Dr. Ashlee Humphreys, testifying for the plaintiffs, estimated that the cost to repair the reputations of Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman is between $17.8 million and $47.4 million.

Humphreys said that her assessment found that Giuliani's defamatory statements about the two election workers had a "significant, negative and long-lasting" impact on Moss and Freeman's reputations.

"To repair reputational harm is not easy," Humphreys said.

A repair campaign for Moss and Freeman would include circulating statements in multiple media outlets, hiring influencers, and running media advertisements over a long period, Humphreys testified.