Giuliani ordered to pay $148 million to former Georgia election workers

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was ordered to pay $148 million to a pair of former Georgia election workers whom he accused of manipulating ballots in the 2020 election.

Former election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, had sued the Republican for defamation, insisting his claims had subjected them to a bevy of harassment. The jury determined that they ought to receive $16 million each for defamation, $20 million each for emotional distress, and $75 million more in punitive damages, Politico reported.

Giuliani was a vocal proponent of former President Donald Trump's claims that mass election fraud affected the outcome of the 2020 presidential contest. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell found Giuliani liable in the case, leaving the jury's duty the determination of damages.

In August of this year, Howell issued a scathing ruling in which he harshly criticized Giuliani for his failure to produce required evidence in the case, resulting in his legal defeat by default. The Republican had been warned in July that his failure to produce relevant materials could have such a result.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.