Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani must pay $148 million (almost 137 million euros) in damages for defaming two former election workers.
A jury in the US capital Washington awarded Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss the million-dollar sum, as US media unanimously reported. Freeman and Moss, who are mother and daughter, were poll workers in the US state of Georgia in the 2020 presidential election.
Giuliani, an ally of former President Donald Trump, falsely claimed after the election that aides like her had thrown out ballots for Trump and counted fake slips for Democrat Joe Biden. Moss and her mother were targeted by Trump supporters because they appeared on a video that was circulated.
Both women received national attention last year when they testified before the Congressional Committee investigating the Capitol attack. “I don’t want to go anywhere anymore. I question everything,” Moss said at the time. People threatened her and wished her death. The two women ultimately sued for damages and accused Giuliani that his claims had destroyed their reputation and led to numerous threats, including racist ones, against them. The two women are black.
The amount of compensation was still pending
A judge had already ruled in the summer that the former Trump lawyer had defamed the women. The amount of compensation was still pending. Giuliani did not testify in the trial, but told reporters outside the court that he did not regret his statements and that they were true. The jury now awarded the two women a significantly higher sum than they had demanded. They sued for up to $43 million.
Giuliani still has to contend with other legal problems. He advised Trump during his term in office and is jointly charged with attempted election fraud in Georgia along with the Republican. The 79-year-old was once a respected politician in the USA. He served as mayor of New York and chief crisis coordinator during the September 11 attacks. In recent years, however, Giuliani’s reputation has suffered considerably – with various appearances he has caused great ridicule.
