Rudy Giuliani’s trial is coming to a close as attorneys wrap up their closing arguments. The jury is set to begin deliberating on how much the former New York City mayor might have to pay two former Georgia election workers for defamation.
Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Giuliani after he made fraudulent claims that the poll workers committed election fraud and stole votes during the 2020 presidential election. His allegations ultimately incited racial harassment and numerous death threats against both women, which forced Freeman to flee from her home in fear.
Giuliani already conceded that he made defamatory statements. Now, it’s up to an eight-member jury in Washington, D.C., to determine how much he will have to pay Freeman and Moss.
In their suit, the women stated they should be paid up to $43 million in damages for the distressing impacts and reputational harm caused by Giuliani’s false and inflammatory statements.
During Giuliani’s trial, their lawyer argued that the payout should increase to $24 million each, totaling a $48 million payout.
Freeman delivered her testimony in court, as well, where she mentioned how even Donald Trump repeated Giuliani’s false allegations of vote manipulation. During a recording of a phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which the former president worked to compel state election officials to “find” him enough votes to win the state, he invoked Freeman’s name more than a dozen times and claimed she cheated and committed election fraud. That call took place just four days before the deadly U.S. Capitol insurrection.
“I just felt like, ‘Really?'” Freeman testified. “The president, talking about me? Me? How mean, how evil. I just was devastated. Me? I didn’t do nothing. It made me feel like, you don’t care that I’m a real person.”
“He didn’t know what he was talking about, really,” she added. “He had no clue what he was talking about. He was just trying to put a name to somebody stealing ballots, which was totally a lie.”
Giuliani will not testify in his trial. Even though he admitted over the summer that his claims about Freeman and Moss were defamatory, he won’t budge on his assertion that his statements were protected speech and never caused damage to them.
Giuliani’s lawyer, Joseph Sibley IV, maintained that assertion in court and argued that the immense payout Freeman and Moss are requesting is the “civil equivalent of the death penalty.”
“They’re trying to end Mr. Giuliani,” Sibley told the jury.
He restated that argument in his closing arguments while acknowledging that Giuliani did wrong them, using the words “irresponsible” and “wrongful conduct” to decry his client’s behavior. However, he stated that he believes the damages the women are requesting come out to a “catastrophic” sum and requested the jury to consider a penalty equal to his client’s actions.
Michael Gottlieb, the attorney representing Freeman and Moss, argued that jurors should “send a message” in the amount they choose because Giuliani “abused his notoriety” and “access to power” to “scapegoat” his clients.
“Facts matter,” Gottlieb said in closing. “Truth is truth. And you will be held accountable.”
