Former Trump Lawyer Rudy Giuliani Ruled Liable For Defaming Georgia Election Workers

Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York, has been declared legally liable for defaming two election workers from Georgia, according to a federal judge’s ruling. The case will proceed to trial to establish the amount of damages Giuliani must pay.

According to Politico, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell announced the decision on Wednesday, stating that Giuliani had explicitly violated her orders to preserve and provide evidence relevant to the case. This resulted in a ‘default’ judgment against Giuliani, who has been ordered to pay ‘punitive’ damages to the election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.

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Giuliani had spent weeks accusing Freeman and Moss of manipulating ballots during Georgia's vote-counting process after the 2020 election. These unfounded allegations led to harassment endured by both workers, which now form part of the criminal charges against multiple co-defendants in the Georgia racketeering case.

The ruling is part of a lawsuit that Freeman and Moss filed against Giuliani in 2021 for defamation, civil conspiracy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The judge has now ordered the question of damages to be decided by a jury.

The former mayor, who was a top Trump campaign lawyer in the last election, has been given until September 20 to produce documents about his net worth and other records related to his podcast, “Common Sense”. This is in addition to roughly $133,000 he has been ordered to pay due to failures in preserving and producing evidence. The sum is separate from any damages a jury may impose.

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