According to NBC, opening statements have begun in the trial to determine the damages Rudy Giuliani will have to pay to two former Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss. Giuliani was found liable for defaming them with baseless claims of election fraud in the 2020 election. The former New York City mayor falsely accused them of committing fraud and claimed they were handling USB drives “like they were vials of heroin or cocaine.”
Freeman and Moss received an “overwhelming” amount of “vile, racist, hateful comments” that were “fueled” by Giuliani and his co-conspirators. Giuliani attorney Joseph Sibley told jurors there’s no question that Freeman and Moss were harmed and that they’re “good people,” but he added that the “punishment must match the crime.” Giuliani never promoted racism or violence, and the millions of dollars Freeman and Moss are seeking would be the “civil equivalent of the death penalty,” Sibley added.
The judge found Giuliani liable earlier this year after he repeatedly snubbed court orders to turn over evidence in the case. Giuliani is expected to testify at the trial. Freeman and Moss are seeking a sum ranging from $15.5 million to $43 million, inclusive of special damages. They will ask the jury to award compensatory damages for emotional distress caused by Giuliani and his co-conspirators, as well as punitive damages to punish him for his conduct. The trial proceedings started with Giuliani missing a pretrial hearing, prompting the judge to criticize his absence and question his attorney. Giuliani’s claim that damages should be decided by a judge, not a jury, was dismissed by the judge, emphasizing that he has been on notice about the jury trial demand for almost two years.
