United States: Former New York mayor and Mr. Donald Trump’s ex-personal attorney, Mr. Rudy Giuliani, has been ordered to pay $148 million in damages to two former election workers he falsely accused of being involved in the 2020 presidential election.
In Washington, DC, a federal jury of eight people ruled that Mr. Giuliani must pay Ms. Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Ms. Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, $75 million in punitive damages. Additionally, they are to receive $36 million each for defamation and emotional distress. This decision stems from Mr. Giuliani’s false claims, accusing them of attempting to manipulate the election against Mr. Trump.
The award was given in response to testimony from Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss, two former poll workers in Fulton County, Georgia, who stated that they received numerous racist and sexist threats as a result of Mr. Giuliani’s false allegations.
Voters Ms. Moss and Ms. Freeman, who are black, testified in court that they were afraid for their lives after being wrongly accused of tampering with voting machines, concealing ballots in suitcases, and counting votes more than once.
Ms. Freeman said in court that she left her house when the FBI warned her that she wasn’t safe, and Ms. Moss informed the jury that she experiences panic attacks and doesn’t often leave her house.
Following the decision, Ms. Moss said to reporters, “Our greatest wish is that no one, no election worker, voter, school board member, or anyone else ever experiences anything like what we went through.” “You all matter, and you are all important,” Ms. Moss added.