An attorney for Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, had urged the eight-person jury to “send a message” with its verdict.
Rudy Giuliani should pay a pair of Georgia election workers he repeatedly and falsely accused of fraud $148 million in damages, a federal jury said Friday.
The eight-person jury awarded Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, the sum after a four-day trial, during which they testified that Giuliani’s lies in support of former President Donald Trump’s bogus stolen-election claims subjected them to a torrent of racist and violent threats and turned their lives upside down.
Freeman testified Wednesday that she was terrorized by Trump supporters and forced to move from her home because of Giuliani’s smears. “I was scared to come home at dark, you know,” a visibly emotional Freeman said on the witness stand. “I was just scared, I knew I had to move.”
This will unfortunately probably be settled for pennies on the dollar after appeals and such.
Damn ! He got that kinda money? I think I might run for Parliament. Need to do some research first. I’ll be back. Please vote for me.
He acknowledged in his closing argument that “my client has committed wrongful conduct against” the pair and had “harmed” them, but asked the jury to keep in mind the good Giuliani had done in his lifetime.
He told them the message he believed they should send is, “You should have been better, but you’re not as bad as the plaintiffs are making you out to be.”
This has to be the worst closing argument ever. This might work if say, a teacher commits a drink driving offense, or a crosswalk attendant steals some laundry detergent, but “think of all the good” that this sycophant did in his life is just going to inspire heavier penalties.
But look at it from the defense’s perspective. He’s guilty AF and there’s no denying it. What play could that make other than to try a humanitarian appeal? It’s pretty clearly not going to work, but as his defense council they have to try.
I hope they get to seize his houses and they move in right away.
What is the impact of this? It seems like whenever a political person is hit with a huge fine in the US, they never pay a penny of it. And furthermore, it seems like they just live their life in luxury, untouched by the massive amount of money they owe.
I just don’t understand. In other countries, I’d expect the criminal behind bars - especially if they won’t pay. What kafkaesque bureaucratic shithole set of laws allow this?
The only way to answer this question is to investigate the circumstances of specific examples.
Generally, the person just doesn’t have the money. If Giuliani bought his nephew $100m in shares 10 years ago, who’s to say those shares do not in fact belong to the nephew.
Someone should keep a running total of how much they all collectively will never pay.
