A Washington, D.C., jury ordered former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani to pay nearly $150 million in damages to two Georgia election workers for defaming them following the 2020 presidential election.
The federal eight-person jury reached the verdict on Friday afternoon after Judge Beryl A. Howell of the Federal District Court in Washington had already ruled that Giuliani defamed Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss.
The jury ordered Giuliani to pay the following:
- $16,171,000 to Ruby Freeman for defamation.
- $16,998,000 to Shaye Moss for defamation.
- $20 million to Freeman for emotional distress.
- $20 million to Moss for emotional distress.
- $75 million in punitive damages to both plaintiffs.
CNN reported that even Judge Howell appeared to be “taken aback by the high figure.”
Outside of the courtroom, Giuliani said, “I don’t regret a damn thing.” Online, he called the ruling “absurd” and said that he was going to appeal.
Legal analyst Elie Honig said that he thought the high figure was intended to “send a message to Rudy Giuliani and to the general public.”
“I think that’s exactly what the jury did here,” Honig said. “When we think about the inequities in this case, when we think about an extraordinarily powerful, remorseless liar like Rudy Giuliani, compared to these women or civil servants, they never signed up for this. Their lives were turned over and I think that’s why you see such a high number here from the jury.”
Freeman and Moss both praised the ruling outside the courtroom while speaking to the media.
“A jury stood witness to what Rudy Giuliani did to me and my daughter and held him accountable, and for that, I’m thankful,” Freeman said. “Today is not the end of the road. We still have work to do. Rudy Giuliani was not the only one who spread lies about us and others must be held accountable, too. But that is tomorrow’s work.”
Moss said that Giuliani’s false statements “changed every aspect of our lives.”
“I know I won’t be able to retire from my job with the county like my grandmother did, but I hope by us taking these steps, these very big steps, towards justice that I can make her just as proud,” she added.