A federal judge granted two former Georgia election workers’ request to expedite Rudy Giuliani’s $148 million payment, saying they both have “good reason” to worry that the former New York City mayor will try to deceive them. .
Last week, a jury ordered Giuliani to pay millions to mother and daughter Ruby Freeman and Shay Moss for defaming them after he falsely accused them of committing voter fraud while counting ballots in Fulton County during the 2020 election.
Freeman and Moss asked the judge to “allow immediate execution” of the sentence, saying they were concerned that Giuliani would “find a way to diffuse [his] assets before the plaintiffs can recover,” ABC News reported.
On Wednesday, Judge Beryl Howell sided with the two, writing that Giuliani has a reputation as an “unwilling and uncooperative litigant.”
On Friday, the DC panel awarded $75 million in punitive damages to Moss and Freeman, as well as an additional $20 million to each woman for emotional distress after deliberating for parts of two days during the week-long trial.
Giuliani said he does not “regret anything” after the decision, which he plans to appeal, denouncing “the absurdity of the figure” awarded to the plaintiffs.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was ordered last week to pay the mammoth sum to mother and daughter Ruby Freeman and Shay Moss. AP
The former mayor told The Post on Friday that he lacked the assets to pay even the $43 million in damages workers initially sought and vowed to “fight this case until I die.”
Giuliani’s attorney, Joe Sibley, said the ruling is “the civil equivalent of the death penalty” and “will be the end of Mr. Giuliani” if he does not win his appeal.
Freeman and Moss first filed their lawsuit against former President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer in 2021, alleging that his false claims about election fraud made them targets of violent threats and racist attacks.
A jury ordered Giuliani to pay millions to mother and daughter Ruby Freeman and Shay Moss for defaming them after he falsely accused them of committing voter fraud while counting ballots in Fulton County during the 2020 election. AP
Giuliani was found liable for defamation by default in August after refusing to disclose evidence to the plaintiffs’ lawyers that included his private communications and complete financial records.
He said the duo passed a USB drive back and forth “like vials of heroin or cocaine” to alter Georgia’s election result.
Moss later testified before the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot that he was giving his mother a mint.
On Wednesday, Judge Beryl Howell sided with the two workers, writing that Giuliani has a reputation as an “unwilling and uncooperative litigant.” The Washington Post via Getty Images
In June, Georgia’s state elections board dismissed allegations of fraud as “baseless and unsubstantiated.”
Freeman and Moss sued Giuliani again on Monday, seeking a permanent injunction against him to prevent him from speaking publicly about them, alleging that he “continues to spread the same lies for which he has already been held responsible.”
The Post has reached out to Giuliani’s lawyers for comment on Wednesday’s ruling.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn