Ga. poll worker describes harrowing threats in Giuliani defamation trial
In 2023, a federal judge found Rudy Giuliani liable for the defamation of 2020 Georgia Election Workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. As a consequence, a federal jury ordered him to pay damages amounting to $148 million.
In response to this decision, Ruby Freeman said “I want people to understand this: Money will never solve all my problems. I can never move back into the house that I called home. I will always have to be careful about where I go, and who I choose to share my name with. I miss my home, I miss my neighbors, and I miss my name”, describing the reverberating effects of Giuliani (and others’) lies following the 2020 election.
For our democracy, this case— like Fox v. Dominion— is a nationally prominent example of accountability for the spread of reckless and harmful anti-democratic lies. In the future, other potential perpetrators will know: if you choose to knowingly spread reckless lies about elections or election workers, you will face consequences.
Our grantee, Protect Democracy, brought this case on behalf of plaintiffs Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman. The purpose of PD’s Law For Truth program, for which Unite & Renew is a major funder, is to provide clear disincentives for using disinformation to achieve unlawful ends in future elections.