Giuliani defamation trial: Jury awards election workers nearly $150 million
The amount is three times as much as plaintiffs were seeking.
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:
- Jury awards Freeman, Moss $75 million apiece
- Freeman, Moss entitled to $24M each, attorney argues
- Giuliani won't testify, attorney says
- Freeman tearfully testifies she left her home due to threats
- Fixing plaintiffs' reputations will cost up to $47M, says expert
- Moss, through tears, describes life after Giuliani's accusations
- Georgia investigators dispel election fraud claims
- Judge blasts Giuliani for 'additional defamatory' remarks
- Expert describes racist content 'on a level we don't see'
Jury deliberations underway
Judge Beryl Howell read from a lengthy jury instruction form that reminded jurors that their sole responsibility is to quantify the damages Rudy Giuliani will have to pay to Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss for defaming them.
The judge emphasized that the court has already determined Giuliani's statements to be defamatory and untrue.
She told jurors that, in assessing the full scope of damages, they must assume that Giuliani withheld financial records and other documents that Freeman and Moss were entitled to access during the discovery process.
'Rudy Giuliani is a good man,' his attorney says in closing
Wrapping up his closing statement, Giuliani attorney Joseph Sibley acknowledged that his client must pay something to Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, but encouraged the jury to issue a measured punishment -- in spite of how Giuliani has conducted himself this week.
"Rudy Giuliani is a good man," Sibley told the jurors. "I know some of you may not think that, and he hasn't exactly helped himself with some of the things that happened in the last few days."
"I know he's done things that are wrong," Sibley said. "I know these women have been harmed. I'm not asking for a hall pass for that."
Nevertheless, Sibley said, the damages must be "in some way tied to what the actual damages are" and "more closely related to the actual damage number."
"Send a message to America that we can come together with compassion and sympathy," Sibley said. "And I think we need that."
Lawyer concedes Giuliani wrongdoing but decries penalty
"Irresponsible." "Wrongful Conduct."
Those are some of the descriptions of Rudy Giuliani's behavior toward Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss that came from Giuliani's own lawyer during his closing argument.
Attorney Joseph Sibley conceded to jurors that his client had wronged Freeman and Moss. He also applauded what he called the "genuine" and powerful testimony from the two women.
But he implored jurors to levy a more measured penalty against Giuliani than the "catastrophic" sum requested by the two plaintiffs.
When jurors consider the cost of Giuliani's defamatory statements, Sibley said, they might say of Giuliani: "You should've been better. But you're not as bad as they made you out to be."
Sibley also implored jurors to discount the testimony of the plaintiff's expert witnesses, framing their delivery as "rehearsed."
"I almost wanted to look at the ceiling to see if the lawyers were puppeteering the witness," Sibley joked.
Sibley called the testimony of Dr. Ashlee Humphreys, who estimated that the cost to repair the reputations of Moss and Freeman is between $17.8 million and $47.4 million, "patently absurd," especially given that "people who believe this stuff are still going to believe it no matter what."
Attorney for Freeman, Moss asks jurors to 'send a message'
Plaintiffs' attorney Michael Gottlieb concluded his closing arguments with a plea for jurors to "send a message" with their verdict.
"Send it to Mr. Giuliani," he said. "But send it to every other powerful figure ... who is considering whether they'll take this chance ... to assassinate the character of ordinary people."
Gottlieb said Giuliani "abused his notoriety" and "access to power" to "scapegoat Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss," telling jurors "he has no right to offer up two civil servants to a virtual mob."
"Facts matter," he said in closing. "Truth is truth. And you will be held accountable."
Giuliani attorney Joseph Sibley will present his closing arguments after a short break, after which the case will go to the jury.
Shaye Moss describes election job as 'winning the golden ticket'
Taking the witness stand, Shaye Moss described the pride she felt as an election supervisor in Fulton County -- the position she held on Election Day in 2020.
Moss began her career in elections in 2012 as a temporary worker in the Fulton County elections office mail room. Five years later, she said she secured a promotion to permanent work.
"I worked really hard for that position. I was so excited I literally dropped to my knees and cried," Moss said. "It was like winning the golden ticket with Willy Wonka. I was so proud of myself."
Moss said she felt proud to work in elections and took particular delight in helping the elderly and others who found it difficult to cast their ballots. She said her grandmother inspired her to pursue a career in elections.
"No, I did not like my job -- because I loved my job," Moss recalled. "It would make my grandmother proud … my grandmother enjoyed telling her friends … that her grandbaby runs the election."