A federal judge needled Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday for telling reporters he intended to prove false claims he made about two Atlanta election were true.
The federal jury trial entered its second day on Tuesday, seeking to determine the extent of damages Giuliani should have to pay to two Atlanta election workers after spreading lies about them.
Before the jury entered the courtroom on Tuesday the US district judge, Beryl Howell, asked Joseph Sibley, Giuliani’s attorney, whether the former New York City mayor was just “playing for the cameras” when he made the comments outside of the Washington DC courthouse Monday evening. Giuliani has already legally conceded in the past that he defamed Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, two Black election workers, and Howell has found him liable for defamation.
“I’m not sure. He’s 80 years old. It’s taken a toll on him,” Sibley said. Howell then proceeded to press Sibley on whether he had concerns Giuliani had the mental capacity to follow instructions in the trial. “The answer of course is yes, I believe he can follow instructions,” Sibley said. “There are health concerns with Mr Giuliani that make sitting through a multi-day trial, the stress of it.”
Freeman and Moss have lived in a “perpetual nightmare” since Giuliani falsely accused them, by name, of trying to steal the election in 2020, their lawyers said in opening statements on Monday. They’re expected to testify about vicious threats, harassment, and emotional distress they have suffered because of his lies. They are seeking up to $43m in damages from the former mayor and Donald Trump ally.
Giuliani has already been found liable for defamation per se, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and civil conspiracy. But in a brief statement to reporters after court on Monday evening, he suggested he planned to prove everything he had said about them was true during the trial.
“When I testify, you’ll get the whole story and it will be definitively clear what I said was true and that whatever happened to them, which was unfortunate if other people overreacted, but everything I said about them is true,” he said. Asked if he regretted what he said, Giuliani said: “Of course I don’t regret it, I told the truth.”
The claims have been repeatedly debunked and Freeman and Moss have been formally cleared of any wrongdoing.
Sibley, Giuliani’s lawyer, said in court on Monday that the damages the plaintiffs were seeking would amount to a civil “death penalty” on the former New York City mayor. “If you award them what they are asking for, it will be the end of Mr Giuliani,” he said.
It’s not immediately clear who will take the stand on Tuesday but Freeman, Moss, and Giuliani are all due to testify this week.
The first witness to testify on Monday was Regina Scott, a former Chicago police department officer who now works as a security consultant. She was hired by Freeman and Moss to analyze online threats against them and testified about the enormous volume they have seen since 2020. “The type of violent and racist and graphic material, that’s on a level we don’t see at all in our work,” she said on Monday.
#Judge #asks #Giuliani #mentally #fit #exmayor #defends #lies #Atlanta #election #workers #Rudy #Giuliani
