Former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss have been granted permission by a federal judge to immediately seek enforcement of their $146 million financial judgment against Rudy Giuliani. This is based on the assumption that Giuliani will not comply with the order and will seek to hide his assets during the 30-day period. The decision allows Freeman and Moss to go after Giuliani’s assets in New York and Florida.
An eight-person jury in Washington, D.C. awarded Freeman and Moss over $148 million in damages last week after the judge found Giuliani liable for repeatedly defaming them by falsely accusing them of carrying out election fraud in Georgia during the 2020 presidential election. In her order Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell reduced the verdict by roughly $2 million to reflect damages the pair were paid in a settlement last year with the other defendant in the case, the TV network OAN.
In his attempt to reduce the automatic 30-day stay after the verdict, Giuliani argued that it should not be “abnormally shortened.” In response to Giuliani’s argument, Judge Howell wrote that under the circumstances of the case, “there is nothing ‘abnormal’ about plaintiffs’ request” and it was “appropriate and warranted” given Giuliani’s behavior in the case.
Giuliani had consistently accused Freeman and Moss of committing voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. However, after several recounts and thorough investigations, there was no evidence of any fraud. Freeman and Moss sued Giuliani for defamation, alleging that his repeated false accusations caused them immense harm.
The ruling by the federal judge gives Freeman and Moss the right to seek Giuliani’s assets in New York and Florida, where he owns several properties. Giuliani’s failure to comply with earlier court orders to pay monetary awards leaves the court with good reason to assume that he will seek to conceal or dissipate his assets during the 30-day period.
This ruling is another setback for Giuliani, who is also facing a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems, one of the main suppliers of voting machines used during the 2020 presidential election. The lawsuit alleges that Giuliani and others spread false claims that Dominion rigged the election in favor of President Joe Biden.
