Grand jury - Reports: Giuliani must pay 148 million US dollars
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani must pay 148 million US dollars (just under 137 million euros) in damages for defaming two former election assistants.
A jury in the US capital Washington awarded Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss the sum in the millions, according to US media reports. Freeman and Moss, who are mother and daughter, were campaign workers in the US state of Georgia in the 2020 presidential election.
Giuliani, an ally of former President Donald Trump, falsely claimed after the election that aides like her had thrown away ballots for Trump and counted fake ballots for Democrat Joe Biden. Moss and her mother were targeted by Trump supporters because they appeared in a video that was circulated.
Both women received national attention last year when they testified before the congressional committee investigating the attack on the Capitol. "I don't want to go anywhere anymore. I question everything," Moss said at the time. People had threatened her and wished her dead. The two women eventually sued Giuliani for damages, accusing him of destroying their reputation and making numerous racist threats against them. The two women are black.
Amount of compensation still outstanding
A judge had already ruled in the summer that the former Trump lawyer had defamed the women. The amount of compensation was still pending. Giuliani did not testify in the trial, but told reporters in court that he did not regret his statements and that they were true. The jury has now awarded the two women a significantly higher sum than they had demanded. They sued for up to 43 million US dollars.
Giuliani also has other legal problems to contend with. He advised Trump during his time in office and has been charged with attempted election fraud together with the Republican in Georgia. The 79-year-old was once a respected politician in the USA. During the September 11 attacks, he was mayor of New York and chief crisis coordinator. In recent years, however, Giuliani's reputation has suffered considerably - his various appearances have caused great ridicule.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
Source: www.stern.de
