A jury of eight that will determine damages in a defamation case against former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was seated on Monday.
In August, Judge Beryl A. Howell ruled that Giuliani is liable for "defamation" and "intentional infliction of emotional distress" after he falsely accused Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shay Moss, of election fraud while pushing Donald Trump's unproven claims about the 2020 election.
Howell ruled against Giuliani and ordered him to pay tens of thousands of dollars in attorney fees after the former mayor ignored court orders to turn over necessary documents.
In this phase of the trial, the jury will determine how much in damages Giuliani will have to pay Freeman and Moss.
Their attorney said Monday that it will take between $17 million and $47 million to repair their reputations.
In December of 2020, Giuliani testified in front of Georgia lawmakers during a House committee hearing. Part of his presentation became a key portion of the evidence against him in the defamation case.
"It's a tape earlier in the day of Ruby Freeman and Shay Freeman Moss, and one other gentleman quite obviously surreptitiously, passing around USB ports, as if they are vials of heroin or cocaine. It's obvious to anyone who is a criminal investigator or prosecutor, they are engaged in surreptitious illegal activity," Giuliani told Georgia.
According to court documents, Giuliani's months-long effort to smear Freeman and Moss' reputation resulted in "violent and racist threats."
Giuliani’s attorney said Monday that it had already been determined that his client defamed the plaintiffs, but added that Giuliani did not take violent action or make racist statements. Those actions, the attorney noted, were taken by other individuals.
The mother and daughter have spoken publicly of their ordeal.
In Mary of 2022, Freeman told lawmakers, "Now I won't even introduce myself by my by name anymore. I get nervous when I bump into someone I know in the grocery store who says my name. I'm worried about who's listening."
Rudy Giuliani sued by former lawyer over unpaid $1.36M legal fees
Rudy Giuliani has a $1.36 million tab with his former lawyers, according to a new lawsuit from the firm.
