The court ordered Rudy Giuliani, former lawyer of former President Donald Trump, to pay $148 million (51 billion Hungarian forints) in damages for falsely claiming that two women tampered with votes in 2020.
Giuliani defamed voter Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Andrea “Shay” Moss.
The ruling was issued after a four-day trial. An eight-member jury on Friday ordered the two victims to pay $20 million for defamation. They were also awarded more than $16 million each for emotional distress, according to the jury. They were ordered to pay an additional $75 million in punitive damages, split between them.
Giuliani, Trump’s former personal lawyer, was initially asked to pay between $15 million and $43 million in damages.
“I don’t regret anything at all.”
Giuliani told reporters outside court.
Freeman and Moss said after the ruling that the past few years have been devastating. Freeman said Giuliani’s allegations left him isolated. Friends and acquaintances were afraid to contact him, and he felt forced to live in isolation because he still feared being recognized in public. The women told reporters on Friday that more lawsuits are expected to be filed against other public figures who spread lies about them.
He continued: “Money will not solve all my problems.” “I can’t move home, I always have to be careful. I miss my home, I miss my neighbors, I miss my name,” he said.
The current trial was just one of a series of court cases that Giuliani will have to face.
In Georgia, Giuliani faces criminal charges for making false statements and election tampering. A former business partner is also suing him for $10 million for sexual harassment. According to the most recent court filings from the IRS, Giuliani failed to pay more than half a million dollars in taxes.
In September, Donald Trump reportedly hosted a $100,000 dinner at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to raise money for Giuliani’s legal defense fund.
