Judge rules Giuliani liable for defamation of Georgia poll workers

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani gets out of his car to speak to reporters outside the Fulton County Jail after he surrendered to face state charges over actions he’s accused of contributing to the election defeat of former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia , U.S. August 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dustin Chambers/File acquire licensing rights Read more

WASHINGTON, Aug 30 (Reuters) – Donald Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani is being held responsible for defaming two Georgia poll workers who were the target of conspiracy allegations of vote-rigging after the 2020 US presidential election, a US judge in Washington ruled on Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell issued the order sanctioning Giuliani for failing to turn over electronic records requested by Fulton County election officials Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, in the case.

Howell noted Giuliani’s refusal to comply with a records-presentation process known as Discovery and dismissed the former New York City mayor’s argument that poll officials used the lawsuit to harass him.

“Donning a victimization cloak may come across well on a public stage to certain viewers, but in court that appearance has only served to undermine the normal process of discovery in a simple defamation case,” Howell wrote in her order.

Giuliani argued in the court filings that he attempted to release paperwork but encountered several roadblocks, including the seizure of his phone by federal agents in 2021.

Ted Goodman, a political adviser to Giuliani, called the ruling a “prime example of the weapon of the justice system where the trial is the punishment.”

Giuliani is also facing charges in Georgia’s Fulton County for allegedly supporting then-Republican President Trump’s efforts to make up for his electoral defeat in the state, including by making false claims about Moss and Freeman. Giuliani called the charge a “travesty.”

The judge’s order means Giuliani must pay damages for spreading false allegations that Moss and Freeman secretly processed and counted stacks of illegal ballots at a Georgia ballot-capturing arena after the 2020 election. The couple said they received death threats and harassment after Giuliani identified them by name and compared them to drug dealers.

Freeman and Moss said in a statement that the verdict confirmed that “none of the allegations against us were true.”

Giuliani previously admitted that his statements were false and damaged Moss and Freeman’s reputations, but left open the possibility of challenging the claims on appeal.

Giuliani now faces a civil trial in federal court in Washington to determine how much he must pay.

Moss and Freeman settled defamation lawsuits against far-right news channel One America News Network last year.

Reporting by Katharine Jackson and Andrew Goudsward in Washington. Additional reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York. Edited by Chizu Nomiyama and Matthew Lewis

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