A trial set to begin in Washington on Monday will determine how much Rudy Giuliani will have to pay two Georgia election workers whom he falsely accused of fraud while pushing Donald Trump’s baseless claims after he lost the 2020 election.
The former New York City mayor has already been found liable in the defamation lawsuit brought by Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, who endured threats and harassment after becoming the target of a conspiracy theory spread by Trump and his allies.
The only issue that will be determined in the trial, which will begin with jury selection in federal court in Washington, is the amount of damages, if any, that Giuliani must pay.
The case is among many legal and financial problems piling up for Giuliani, who was celebrated as “America’s mayor” after the 9/11 terrorist attack and became one of the most fervent promoters of Trump’s election lies. after he lost to President Joe Biden. .
This arrest photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office shows Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, in Atlanta, after he surrendered and was booked. AP
Giuliani is also criminally charged along with Trump and others in the Georgia case, accusing them of trying to illegally overturn the election results in the state.
He has pleaded not guilty and maintains he had every right to raise questions about what he believed was voter fraud.
He was sued in September by a former lawyer who alleged that Giuliani only paid a fraction of about $1.6 million in legal fees stemming from investigations into his efforts to keep Trump in the White House.
And the judge overseeing the election workers’ lawsuit has already ordered Giuliani and his business entities to pay tens of thousands of dollars in attorney fees.
Former Georgia election worker Wandrea Moss becomes emotional as she testifies as her mother Ruby Freeman looks on during the fourth hearing held by the Select Committee to investigate the January 6 attack on the US Capitol on June 21, 2022. Getty Images
Moss had worked for the Fulton County elections department since 2012 and oversaw the absentee voting operation during the 2020 election.
Freeman was a temporary poll worker, verifying signatures on absentee ballots and preparing them to be counted and processed.
Giuliani and other Trump allies seized on surveillance footage to push a conspiracy theory that election workers removed fraudulent ballots from suitcases.
The claims were quickly debunked by Georgia election officials, who found no improper counting of votes.
Voting machines fill the floor for early voting at State Farm Arena on Oct. 12, 2020, in Atlanta. AP
The women have said the false claims sparked a barrage of violent threats and harassment that, at one point, forced Freeman to flee her home for more than two months.
In emotional testimony before the U.S. House Committee that investigated the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Moss recounted receiving an avalanche of threatening and racist messages.
In her August decision holding Giuliani accountable in the case, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said he had paid “lip service” about fulfilling his legal obligations and had failed to provide information requested by the mother and daughter. .
In October, the judge said Giuliani had flagrantly ignored an order to provide documents related to his personal and business assets.
He said jurors deciding the amount of damages will be told they must “infer” that Giuliani was intentionally trying to conceal financial documents in hopes of “artificially deflating his net worth.”
Giuliani admitted in July that he made public comments falsely claiming that Freeman and Moss committed fraud to try to alter the outcome of the race while counting ballots at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
But Giuliani argued that the statements were protected by the First Amendment.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn