Giuliani must pay more than $148 million for defaming Fulton County election workers

WASHINGTON — Rudy Giuliani must pay two former Fulton County, Georgia, election workers more than $148 million in damages for falsely accusing them of voting fraud, a federal jury ruled Friday.

Giuliani must pay $33.2 million in compensatory damages for defaming Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, plus $40 million for intentionally inflicting emotional distress on them. The jury also awarded them $75 million in punitive damages.

“We hope no one ever has to fight so hard just to get your name back,” Moss said outside the courthouse after the decision was announced.

Freeman said she was thankful.

“A jury stood witness to what Rudy Giuliani did to me and my daughter, and held him accountable.,” Freeman said.

But she added that money won’t solve all of her problems.

“I can never move back into the house that I called home. I will always have to be careful about where I go and who I choose to share my name with. I miss my home. I miss my neighbors. And I miss my name.”

Giuliani pledged to appeal.

“The absurdity of the number merely underscores the absurdity of the entire proceeding, where I’ve not been allowed to offer one single piece of evidence in defense, which I have a lot,” he said.

“I am quite confident when this case gets before a fair tribunal, it’ll be reversed so quickly it will make your head spin.”

The verdict is a victory for two women who endured death threats and racist harassment when Giuliani, former President Donald Trump and others falsely accused them of ballot stuffing and other illegal acts on election night 2020. Giuliani and Trump continued to spread the lies long after they had been debunked by state and federal investigator.