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Rudy Giuliani Liable For Defamation of Georgia Election Workers [1]
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Date: 2023-08-30
Rudy Giuliani falsely accused Georgia elections workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss, of election fraud and cheating Trump out of the Georgia election. His claims never had any legitimate basis, but were investigated and found by law enforcement to be false. Nonetheless, Freeman and Moss were subjected to death threats and forced from their home by a MAGA mob. For his part, Giuliani now finds himself one of 19 criminal defendants (including Trump) in Fani Willis’s RICO indictments.
Freeman and Moss sued Giuliani and Giuliani attempted to dodge discovery. The court repeatedly ordered Giuliani to produce the demanded discovery, and he repeatedly refused. As Freeman and Moss sought sanctions against Giuliani for defying the court’s discovery orders, Giuliani attempted to stipulate his way out of discovery. He tried to sort of admit, without really admitting, that the words were false and defamatory, while claiming they were still protected by the 1st Amendment. Judge Beryl Howell rejected this, and ordered Giuliani to clarify his supposed stipulations to something clear and understandable. Giuliani filed another document basically playing the same game.
Today the exasperated judge made clear she would have no more of this nonsense. She granted Freeman’s and Moss’s motion for sanctions and did so with the strongest sanction available, default judgement.
“default judgment will be entered against defendant Rudolph W. Giuliani on his liability for plaintiffs’ defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy, and punitive damage claims, pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.”
Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss just won their case. Rudy is liable to them for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy and punitive damages.” He is also liable to them for the costs of filing the sanctions motion (amount to be determined), their motions to compel discovery ($89,172.50), and motions to compel discovery against his business ($43,684).
A trial will be held but only to determine the amount of damages Freeman and Moss suffered and are entitled to. The jury will be informed Giuliani is liable, they need only determine how much he must pay. Giuliani is directed to produce by September 20th relevant discovery as to his finances. If he fails to do so “the jury will be instructed that they must, when determining an appropriate sum of punitive damages, infer that he is intentionally trying to hide relevant discovery about his financial assets for the purpose of artificially deflating his net worth.”
Fani Willis’s criminal case against Giuliani is based in part on his lies about Freeman and Moss. A Federal judge just ruled Giuliani’s statements were knowing lies. Giuliani should really be working at making a deal in that criminal case.
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/30/2190486/-Rudy-Giuliani-Libel-For-Defamation-of-Georgia-Election-Workers
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