Giuliani ordered to pay $148 million to Georgia election workers in defamation trial

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani arrives for his defamation lawsuit at the U.S. District Courthouse in Washington, U.S., December 15, 2023. The case was brought by two Fulton County, Georgia election workers after they were harassed following Giuliani's false election claims. REUTERS/Bonnie Cash/ File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rudy Giuliani must pay more than $148 million in damages to two former Georgia election workers he defamed through false accusations that they helped rig the 2020 election against Donald Trump, a jury decided on Friday.

The jury in federal court in Washington found that Giuliani owes the workers, Wandrea "Shaye" Moss and her mother Ruby Freeman, roughly $73 million to compensate them for the reputational and emotional harm they suffered and $75 million to punish the former Trump lawyer and one-time New York mayor for his conduct.