A federal court in Washington DC has held Rudy Giuliani, former lawyer to ex-President Donald Trump, liable for defaming Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss during the 2020 US presidential election. Amid the turbulent aftermath of the election results, which confirmed President Joe Biden’s majority victory in Georgia, Giuliani reportedly initiated what the plaintiffs termed a “media offensive”.
District Judge Beryl Howell ordered for a judgment to be entered against Giuliani for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy, and punitive damage claims. Howell’s decision followed a default judgment, arising from Giuliani’s legal team’s persistent failures to provide requested evidential material. A jury will still determine the damages awarded to Freeman and Moss regarding the defamation claims.
Giuliani stands indicted for several criminal charges related to his actions during the 2020 presidential election, some stemming from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s indictment citing 13 criminal counts for fraudulent propagation of voter fraud in Georgia. Giuliani is accused of aligning with Trump’s team, including Trump himself, to interfere in the state’s election process.
Giuliani, in late 2020, orchestrated what he called a “Strategic Communications Plan”, aimed at promoting Trump’s election interference conspiracy, and pressing lawmakers to validate the election of Trump. The plan falsely implicated Freeman, directed by name, with “ballot stuffing” and a fraudulent election criminal record. These unfounded claims, repeatedly featured online and via his podcast, saw Freeman, and her daughter Moss, become targets of online hate and their lives become a “living nightmare”, the women stated.
Giuliani’s legal team posit that Judge Howell’s 57-page opinion on the discovery issues is an unusual occurrence and suggest an underlying political motivation. However, Freeman and Moss see the ruling as yet another impartial finding that vindicates them of any wrongdoing. Judge Howell has now directed both parties to propose timelines for three separate damages trials.