Rudy Giuliani finds himself facing another day in court for his defamation trial, with one of the Georgia election workers he allegedly defamed, Shane Moss, returning to the stand. Moss previously told jurors that her life was irrevocably altered due to Giuliani's 'crazy lies' about her. In a chilling detail, Moss revealed her fearing of her son finding her victim of a hate crime inspired by Giuliani's fraudulent claims.
The jurors are responsible for deciding how much compensation Giuliani owes to the election workers, as their reputations and lives have been severely impacted by his scandalous statements. This occurs alongside a condemnation of Giuliani by the judge presiding over the trial for remarks he made outside the court, where he continued to maintain his unfounded claims of election fraud.
Giuliani's lawyer has insisted that he can't control the former New York Mayor's actions, and that Giuliani is fully aware of the context and implications of defamation. The judge reaffirmed the state of the trial by explicating that Giuliani has been found liable, and that his statements are conclusively false. She advised Giuliani against continuing his unethical public conduct, especially amidst the ongoing trial.
The election workers, Shea Moss and Ruby Freeman, have spoken emotionally about their experiences during the trial, citing personal threats, public humiliation, and damage to their professional lives due to Giuliani’s statements. In order to characterize the substantial emotional distress they've suffered due to Giuliani's actions, they have read some of the obscene, hate-filled messages they received aloud for the court.
The plaintiffs, Moss and Freeman, are seeking an amount between $15.5 to $43 million for purely reputational damage. This does not include the additional compensation sought for the emotional distress they faced or the punitive damages requested due to Giuliani’s actions. They argue that their reputations are irreparably damaged and they cited the continued spread of false statements about them as evidence of that. With Giuliani set to testify in this case, the trial is attracting a lot of attention. At this point, only time will tell where this tumultuous affair will end.
