Rudy Giuliani Must Pay Almost $150 Million, Jury Decides

(USNewsBreak.com) – Rudy Giuliani, once revered for his actions following the devastating terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, earned the title of America’s Mayor. In recent years, he’s aligned himself with former President Donald Trump and his claims about the past election. The former mayor has also found himself in some serious legal trouble, and now a court has ordered him to pay a significant amount of money.

On Friday, December 15, a federal jury ordered Giuliani to pay $148 million in a civil trial brought by two Georgia election workers who claimed he baselessly defamed them. Wandrea ArShaye Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, sued the former New York City mayor for false accusations suggesting they engaged in a fake ballot scheme. A federal judge had previously determined Giuliani was liable in the case, so the trial determined the damages.

BREAKING: Rudy Giuliani must pay $148 million to two Georgia election workers who sued him for defamation, a jury rules. https://t.co/JUQGWjgAcw

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) December 15, 2023

During the trial, Moss and Freeman told the jury how Giuliani’s lies suddenly threw them in the public eye with all the threats and fear that came with it. They received letters, texts, calls, and emails with hate-filled messages. Moss, in particular, said she’s scared of her “son finding [her] or [her] mom hanging in front of [their] house,” according to CBS News.

The payout breaks down as follows. The jury awarded Freeman $16,171.000 for compensatory damages for defamation and $20 million in compensatory damages for emotional distress. Moss’s compensatory damages came to $16,998,000 for defamation and $20 million for emotional distress. The pair will also split $75 million for punitive damages. The women only sought $48.6 million. Yet, the award is nearly $100 million over that figure.

Despite the ruling, Giuliani stood by his original claims, and he provided a video he alleged showed them engaging in dishonest behavior. Giuliani said the amount the jury awarded was an “absurd number” that “will be reversed so quickly it’ll make your head spin.”

Moss and Freeman have filed suit against Giuliani again, asking a federal judge to order him to stop repeating the debunked claims and enforce the award before his assets run out.