On Friday, a federal jury in Washington D.C. awarded $148 million in damages to two former Georgia election workers who were the targets of Rudy Giuliani’s baseless claims that they counted fraudulent absentee ballots in the 2020 presidential election.
The eight jurors awarded the hefty damages following a four-day civil trial against Giuliani, who was found guilty earlier this year of defaming former Fulton County election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea ArShaye “Shaye” Moss.
The $148 million awarded to Freeman and Moss includes $75 million in punitive damages and another $73 million in compensatory damages for defamation and emotional distress. Freeman and Moss became main targets of Trump and a large number of his supporters advancing conspiracy theories that rampant voting fraud cost Trump the election in Georgia as well as several other swing states
During the trial last week, Freeman became emotional while testifying about the threats to her life she faced while Giuliani, as Trump’s personal and campaign lawyer, publicly claimed she helped rig the 2020 presidential election in Biden’s favor while processing absentee ballots at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena following the November election.
Even after conceding to making defamatory statements against Freeman and Moss, Giuliani remained defiant while speaking to news reporters gathered outside the federal courthouse on Dec. 11 following jury selection.
Freeman and Moss are expected to be prominent state witnesses in the Fulton election interference case against Guiliani, Trump, and the former president’s allies. Fulton election interference defendants Harrison Floyd, Trevian Kutti and Stephen Lee are accused of harassing Freeman while attempting to force her to confess to something security video shows didn’t happen.
