Rudy Giuliani must pay $148 million to the two Georgia election workers he defamed

Back in 2020, following the presidential election, Donald Trump “hired” Rudy Giuliani to travel around the country, fart his way through state hearings and make up some of the most odious lies ever. Rudy seriously criss-crossed the country, spreading variations of “the big lie” and trying to convince states to throw out thousands of ballots based on little more than MAGA vibes. As part of Rudy’s fart-soaked post-election blitz, he said a lot of sh-t about the Georgia election. Rudy, Kanye West and the Trump campaign targeted two particular women, election workers, for weeks if not months. The women sued. On Friday, the women won, and now Rudy will have to pay them $148 million.

A jury on Friday ordered Rudolph W. Giuliani to pay $148 million to two former Georgia election workers who said he had destroyed their reputations with lies that they tried to steal the 2020 election from Donald J. Trump.

Judge Beryl A. Howell of the Federal District Court in Washington had already ruled that Mr. Giuliani had defamed the two workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. The jury had been asked to decide only on the amount of the damages.

The jury awarded Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss a combined $75 million in punitive damages. It also ordered Mr. Giuliani to pay compensatory damages of $16.2 million to Ms. Freeman and $16.9 million to Ms. Moss, as well as $20 million to each of them for emotional suffering.

“Today’s a good day,” Ms. Freeman told reporters after the jury delivered its determination. But she added that no amount of money would give her and her daughter back what they lost in the abuse they suffered after Mr. Giuliani falsely accused them of manipulating the vote count.

Mr. Giuliani, who helped lead Mr. Trump’s effort to remain in office after his defeat in the 2020 election but has endured a string of legal and financial setbacks since then, was defiant after the proceeding.

“I don’t regret a damn thing,” he said outside the courthouse, suggesting that he would appeal and that he stood by his assertions about the two women. He said that the torrent of attacks and threats the women received from Trump supporters were “abominable” and “deplorable,” but that he was not responsible for them. Outside the courthouse on Friday, Mr. Giuliani called the amount “absurd.”

Mr. Giuliani’s net worth is unknown because he refused to comply with the court’s requirement to provide that information. A lawyer familiar with his legal situation said after the verdict that Mr. Giuliani was likely to file for bankruptcy protection. But because the damages he owes Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss are considered an “intentional tort,” bankruptcy would not erase his liability, lawyers said.

[From The NY Times]

You have to understand, Rudy is SOOOOO broke right now. Trump didn’t even pay him for that humiliating display in 2020. Trump threw Rudy under the bus several months after the press conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping. Not to mention, Rudy is also being sued for harassing and assaulting his former publicist, and she’s indicated that he’s broke too. Rudy used to be flush with cash, then he tied his wagon to the MAGA struggle-bus and now he’s going to be living in a repossessed cardboard box. I hope Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss get every last penny they can get from Rudy.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.

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47 Responses to “Rudy Giuliani must pay $148 million to the two Georgia election workers he defamed”

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  1. Visa Diva says:

    I’m so happy for Ruby and Shaye. This judgement will follow Rudy until he pays it off. That’s garnishment of wages and IIRC, no bankruptcy protection. Rudy deserves it for what he put these women through.

    • seaflower says:

      This.

    • ML says:

      Great! Congratulations to Ruby and Shay, and may Rudy Giuliani never know peace from well-deserved financial ruin.

    • BeanieBean says:

      I was thrilled when I read the news. Sure, Rudy’s appealing the amount, blah blah blah, but Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss will get their just compensation. Or whatever’s left of Rudy’s bank account.

      • DaveW says:

        Unfortunately for Ruby and Shaye, I don’t think there’s much left. He has pretty hefty payments to one or two of hi ex wives have been after him because he either hasn’t been paying or trying to negotiate them lower. And you know Cheetolini won’t help, he still owes Rudy a fortune in legal bills.

  2. FancyPants says:

    Real accountability- keep it coming! Sue him again for repeating AGAIN that they lied right after he walked out of the courtroom! If Freeman and Moss can never have their normal lives back, then neither can Rudy. #ETTD

    • Brassy Rebel says:

      “Mr. Giuliani called the amount absurd.” What’s truly absurd is that he walks straight out of court and stands by the defamation and that he and this whole pack of grifters and insurrectionists are still walking around free.

    • BeanieBean says:

      I saw that on TV! WTH! He already been convicted & he’s saying it again!!

    • Jaded says:

      That may very well land him in jail for contempt of court. He’s too stupid to realize he’s dug himself into a hole so deep you can see China out the other side.

    • Megan says:

      At some point Rudy’s attorneys will argue that he suffers from cognitive decline.

  3. This is wonderful news, does anyone know how long it takes for the appeal to go through?

    What I am asking is how long until we know if this judgement will stick or be turned over, or the amount reduced.

    • Dara says:

      Not sure about time, but someone on MSN said Georgia has a unique wrinkle when it comes to appealing civil cases – in order to appeal Rudy has to pay a bond at least as large as the initial judgment when he files the paperwork. I’m guessing this rule is to keep people from filing frivolous appeals just to avoid or delay paying what they owe. Since he’s broke AF I doubt anyone would front him the money to pay the bond.

      There is probably is a way he can petition to have the amount reduced without actually appealing the verdict. The jury was pretty measured when they awarded the compensatory and emotional damages, I think those should hold up. The punitive damages were the eye-popping figures. Punitive damages are designed as punishment (hence the name). Since Rudy acted like a leaking asshole throughout this entire process, and showed zero restraint or remorse, I’d say he deserves every penny, but we will see.

  4. OzJennifer says:

    There was a haiku going around a while ago (about Trump) but I think it also applies here:
    Ha ha ha ha ha
    Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
    Ha ha ha f*cker!

  5. Petal says:

    What a garbage person. MORE PLEASE!

  6. Bettyrose says:

    I want them all behind bars, but I’ll settle for the prison of the mind as they anxiously await the next round of consequences amid public scorn.

  7. Kingston says:

    As much as i hv confidence in special counsel Jack Smith and judge Tanya Chutkan and attorney Fani Willis that theyll do a gd job in getting trump convicted, the fact that the court ordered guilliani to submit his financials and he refused, yet wasnt charged & jailed for contempt of court, is the reason why I hv so little faith tht the system will serve up justice to trump.

    He’ll either not get convicted or not get slapped wth (a) jail sentence(s) or none of his court cases will conclude in time to prevent him from running again and so he will run and either win or cause the same chaos like Jan 2021.

    But this time, the aftermath will be worse…..for america…..and for the rest of us.
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .

    Anyhoooo……….this concludes my doomsday report for today.

    • Ciotog says:

      I’m guessing Rudy has stuff in his financials he doesn’t want anyone to know. Russian stuff, perhaps.

      • bettyrose says:

        Someday, HBO … excuse me, Max, is going to do a five part series on Rudy’s financials, and it will be gripping.

    • manda says:

      my fears exactly. why don’t they get punished when they refuse court orders???? it’s not fair

    • Robert Phillips says:

      I honestly don’t think there is a chance of Trump winning the election. If he even gets past the primaries. But if he does lose in November. He better hope he goes to prison. Because his followers are mean. What I mean by that, is if they figure out he can’t do anything for them anymore. And they have emptied out their bank accounts to him. They are going to turn on him. And we will probably see another Jan. 6th at Mar-a-Lago.

      • Renae says:

        A Jan 6 at MarALago? I want the popcorn concession!

        As far as Rudy? I’m betting he has plenty of money. He always did have $$ in accounts overseas and really hid money when preparing for his last, costly divorce. Also, the man has “friends” who would gladly hold/hide money for him.

      • Mairzy Doats says:

        @Renae — I heard a tv comment that if Rudy continues to be uncooperative about all his financial assets he could wind up in jail.

    • Dara says:

      There are almost too many court cases to keep track of (I’m not complaining), but if memory serves the judge in Rudy’s case hit him pretty hard for refusing to hand over discovery. It’s a civil case, so the punishment wasn’t jail time – the judge ordered Rudy to pay $138,000 in legal fees and issued a summary judgement against him. He essentially lost the case before the trial even started by refusing to cooperate.

      • Kingston says:

        @Dara
        Oh that’s gd to know. If true, then I take it bk (in this instance only) that folks like guilliani can thumb their noses at court orders and not be punished like the avg citizen would.

  8. JaneS says:

    I’d still like to see him get jail time.

    • Barbie1 says:

      I would love that. He is an absolute disgrace.

    • Renae says:

      @MairzyDoats James & Barbie1.
      Jail? 5–10 years ago it would’ve been a great option. Now, when he is close to 80? Too kind! Taxpayers having to pay for his keep and medical care? Nah, homeless, friendless and on the streets would be more fitting. Let him find out just how he was so cruel going after the squeegee dudes. Let him have to do it himself to eat. Have him without washroom facilities like he made so many others do in NYC.
      Jail is too sanitary and nice. At his age, he’d be in a geriatric facility which is like a nursing home with bars. I don’t want his meals delivered to his wheelchair, I want him to have to beg to eat.
      Merry Christmas, Rudy!

    • Dara says:

      He’s been indicted by Fani Willis. There’s still hope. Jack Smith also has him as an unindicted co-conspirator for the federal Jan 6 case. My optimistic side tells me he did that because Rudy is singing like a bird against Trump and others, and he will only stay unindicted if he continues to be cooperative.

  9. AC says:

    That’s what one gets when they sell their soul to the Devil.

  10. BlueNailsBetty says:

    “ If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed…….and we will deserve it.”

    -Lindsey Graham, May 3, 2016 (Twitter)

  11. Anne Keane says:

    I’m sure his pal Donald will pay it, given it was incurred in the service of the orange cult leader. Out of the huge amount of donations he grifts from the intellectually compromised.

    • Theresa says:

      Trump won’t help Rudy…he hasn’t even paid him for the work he did for him. Trump only has loyalty to Trump…everyone else can swing in the wind

  12. Shoegirl77 says:

    Kaiser, you are spoiling us this weekend with all these wonderful FAFO court reports.

  13. bisynaptic says:

    ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

  14. Thelma says:

    Kaiser: as usual excellent selection of photos to accompany the story. I’m dying…..

  15. Grant says:

    “fart his way through Senate hearings…” BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Someone give Kaiser a Pulitzer!

  16. Eowyn says:

    I think they’ve brought another lawsuit due to ongoing defamation https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.263084/gov.uscourts.dcd.263084.1.0.pdf