In court with the women he defamed, Giuliani faces millions in damages

Rudolph W. Giuliani’s attorney told jurors Monday that the tens of millions of dollars in damages that two Georgia election workers are seeking from him in a defamation suit “will mean the end of Mr. Giuliani,” comparing an award of that magnitude with a civil case. capital punishment.

The lawyer, Joseph Sibley IV, made the claim in his opening statement on the first day of Mr. Giuliani’s civil trial in Federal District Court in Washington.

The judge, Beryl A. Howell, has already ruled that Mr. Giuliani defamed the two workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, intentionally inflicted emotional distress and conspired with others when he publicly accused them of election fraud in connection with their job. counting absentee ballots at State Farm Arena in Atlanta for the Fulton County Board of Elections on November 3, 2020.

A jury of eight will determine how much Mr. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and former federal prosecutor, should pay them for the damage he caused.

Ms Freeman and Ms Moss are seeking damages of between $15.5 million and $43 million.

Michael J. Gottlieb, a lawyer for Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss, mother and daughter, said Mr. Giuliani’s false accusations have led to a “campaign of defamation and emotional terror” against them. He said the women had to leave their homes for security reasons due to the thousands of threats that followed.

“Their names have become synonymous with crime, deceit and fraud,” Mr. Gottlieb said in his opening statement.

Sitting across from Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss in the courtroom, Mr. Giuliani sighed, put his hand to his forehead and occasionally shook his head as Judge Howell described his actions after selecting the jury.

Mr. Giuliani arrived late to the courtroom on Monday because he was stuck in the security line trying to get into the courthouse.

He had previously irritated Judge Howell for failing to show up for one of the final hearings in the case. He also refused to comply with routine court obligations, which Judge Howell said would have provided insight into his assets.

Mr. Giuliani has already collected millions in legal fees related to the civil and criminal lawsuits he faces in connection with his participation and efforts to convince the American public that Joseph R. Biden Jr. was not the legitimate winner of the 2020 election.

But any amount is likely to push Mr. Giuliani deeper into financial trouble. He already owes money to lawyers who have represented him in other cases related to his post-election efforts to undermine President Biden’s 2020 victory. Due to disciplinary measures against him, he cannot work as a lawyer and is suspended.