Rudy Giuliani Goes to Trial to Determine Damages in Defamation Case

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Facts

  • Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani arrived at a Washington, D.C. court Monday morning as he faces a trial to determine the damages he must pay related to a defamation lawsuit brought by two Georgia election workers. Giuliani was found liable in August for making defamatory statements about the two workers. 1
  • The plaintiffs, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, are seeking between $15.5M and $43M in damages for the emotional and reputational harm that came from Giuliani’s remarks following the 2020 election. Giuliani was a lawyer for former Pres. Donald Trump when he challenged the election results. 2
  • Giuliani arrived roughly 20 minutes late to the courtroom, which his attorney blamed on the security line to enter the courthouse. Eight jurors were selected Monday after potential candidates were asked their opinions on the legitimacy of the 2020 election and other topics related to the case.3
  • Opening arguments began Monday afternoon, and Giuliani did not speak to reporters when he entered the courthouse. He is expected to take the witness stand, which could impact a separate criminal case in Georgia that accuses Trump, Giuliani, and others of trying to overturn the state’s election results. 4
  • District Judge Beryl Howell, an Obama appointee who has presided over several Trump-related cases, sided with the plaintiffs in August and this week’s trial is only to determine the damages and any potential penalties. After the 2020 election, Giuliani accused the women of committing election fraud and passing around computer memory equipment, which had been proven false.5
  • Giuliani admitted in July to making the false statements and has already been ordered to pay the plaintiffs' $89K attorney’s fees since he did not fulfill his discovery obligations.6

Sources: 11310 KEKA, 2CNN, 3NBC, 4Associated Press, 5The Hill, and 6CBS.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Guardian. Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump's other conspirators are complicit in the former president’s efforts to illegally overturn the 2020 election results and must be held accountable. Giuliani knowingly spread conspiracy theories while representing Trump and used his prominent platform to provoke threats against two Georgia election workers. Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss were doing their patriotic duty by volunteering to serve American democracy, yet Rudy Giuliani defamed them, putting them in danger, just to spread lies on behalf of Donald Trump. He owes the plaintiffs everything they seek.
  • Right narrative, as provided by The Gateway Pundit. The mainstream media refuses to report the truth when it comes to the 2020 election, and the left-leaning regime is attacking its political opponents from all angles. Related to the “false” statements Rudy Giuliani made about two Georgia election workers, suppressed documents and videos show quite a different point of view and at least merit investigation with due diligence. The court system will try to send a message by ordering Giuliani to pay millions, but there are deeper systemic issues here.
  • Nerd narrative, as provided by Metaculus. There's a 56% chance that Donald Trump will be jailed or incarcerated before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.