Breaking down Rudy Giuliani’s ‘stunning’ $148M verdict in Georgia election workers case
DECIDING JUST HOW MUCH IN DAMAGES THOSE WORKERS SHOULD RECEIVE. KEN HAS BEEN FOLLOWING TRIAL AND HE JOINS ME NOW. THIS IS A HUGE SUM, KEN. BREAK DOWN THE TAKE AWAY HERE AND WHAT IT MEANS. >> IT'S A STUNNING VERDICT. IT DREW AUDIBLE GASPS IN THE COURTROOM AND EXCEEDED EVEN
WHAT THE PLAINTIFFS WERE ASKING FOR AND WHAT THE EXPERT SAID THEIR DAMAGES WERE. THE JUR AWARDED EACH WOMAN A DIFFERENT FIGURE AND COMPENSATION FOR DEFAMATION. RUBY WAS AWARDED 16.2 ROUGHLY MILLION DOLLARS. HER DAUGHTER WAS AWARDED $16.9 MILLION. THEN THEY AWARD THEM EACH $20 MILLION FOR INTENTIONAL
INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS ANDEN $75 MILLION FOR PUNITIVE DAMAGE TO PUNISH HIM FOR THE HARM THAT HE CAUSED. WE -- I WAS PERSONALLY EXPECTING A BIG NUMBER BUT THIS -- THIS EXCEEDS PROBABLY WHAT ANYONE THOUGHT WAS POSSIBLE. NOW WHETHER RUDY GIULIANI IS ABLE TO PAY ANYTHING CLOSE TO
THIS REMAINS TO BE SEEN AND OF COURSE HE LIKELY WILL APPEAL THIS NUMBER SO THERE MAY BE -- THERE MAY BE -- FARAWAY FROM AN ACTUAL COMPENSATION IN THIS CASE. IT SENDS A POWERFUL MESSAGE. THIS IS A JURY INFLICTING A PUNISHMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN A COURTROOM FOR LIES ABOUT THE ELECTION. WHAT WAS SO REMARKABLE IS THAT THE STATEMENTS AT ISSUE WERE NEVER -- WERE NEVER IN QUESTION. THE JUDGE RULED THEY WERE LIES AND DEFAMATION AND RUDY GIULIANI ACKNOWLEDGED THEY WERE IN COURT PAPERS SO THIS WAS
ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY HE SHOULD PAY THE WOMEN FOR THE HARM THAT HE CAUSED AND IT WAS SOME GRIPPING TESTIMONY FROM EACH OF THE WOMEN ABOUT THE HORRIBLE RACIST THREATS AND ATTACKS THEY RECEIVED. THEIR LIVES WERE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN WHEN RUDY GIULIANI ACCUSED
THEM BASELESSLY OF ELECTION FRAUD. THEY HAD TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES AND JOBS. THEY HAVE BEEN AWARDED A GIANT SUM OF MONEY IN COMPENSATION. >> ALL TOTALING $148 MILLION. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE CONTOURS OF THE TRIAL. I WANT THE AUDIENCE TO UNDERSTAND IF RUDY GIULIANI
CANNOT PAY THAT SUM AND IT WOULD BE A CHALLENGE GIVEN WE KNOW ALL OF THE REPORTING AROUND HIS CHALLENGES JUST TO PAY HIS LEGAL BILLS, WHAT HAPPENS IN THAT CASE? HOW DO THESE WOMEN IN FACT GET COMPENSATION WHEN HE MIGHT NOT HAVE THAT MUCH MONEY TO PAY?
>> RIGHT. WELL ASSUMING THIS IS UPHELD ON APPEAL AND EVENTUALLY A JUDGMENT IS ENTERED AGAINST HIM FOR WHATEVER SUM OF MONEY IT ENDS UP BEING THAT WOULD HANGOVER HIM. AS YOU SAID HE IS IN SOME FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY RIGHT NOW. IS HE BEING SUED BY HIS FORMER
LAWYER FOR A MILLION DOLLARS IN LEGAL FEE THAT THE LAWYER SAID HE IS OWED. HE REPORTEDLY HAS PUT HIS NEW YORK APARTMENT ON THE MARKET FOR $6 MILLION AND HIS LAW LICENSES HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED SO HE HAS NO WAY TO EARN MONEY THROUGH THE LEGAL PROFESSION RIGHT NOW.
SO IN MANY SITUATIONS LIKE THIS THE PERSON ENDS UP FILING FOR BANKRUPTCY AND THEIR ASSETS ARE SOLD OFF AND THE PEOPLE WHO HOLD THE JUDGMENT END UP JUST TRYING TO GET PENNYS ON PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR SO THEY MAY NOT SEE MUCH MONEY BUT WHAT
A POWERFUL MESSAGE IT SENDS AND YOU KNOW, BROADCASTING TO THE WORLD THAT THE THINGS HE SAID ABOUT THEM WERE LIES AND THAT THEY WERE SUCH BAD LIE THAT THE JURY AWARDED THEM $148 MILLION. >> AND OF COURSE WE FIRST MET THEM AT THE JANUARY 6th TRIALS
AND AS YOU SAID THEY WERE THE CENTER OF REALLY GRIPPING TESTIMONY IN THIS CASE. CAN YOU GIVE US A FEW OF THOSE MOMENTS THROUGHOUT THE TRIAL THAT REALLY STOOD OUT TO YOU? I KNOW THEY SPOKE ABOUT THE FEAR THAT THEY HAD AND WHAT
THEY SUFFERED BECAUSE OF THE THREATS THAT THEY WERE GETTING AGAINST THEIR LIVES. >> YEAH. THAT'S RIGHT. JUST A REMINDER TO VIEWERS THE WAY THAT RUDY GIULIANI SET TO DEFAME THEM WAS HE POINTED TO A VIDEO WHEN THEY WERE WORKING AS POLL WORKERS AND CLAIMED THAT
THEY WERE PASSING USB DRIVES AMONG EACH OTHER HE SAID LIKE VIALS OF COCAINE OR HEROIN. HE SAID THEY WERE STUFFING BALLOTS IN TO SUITCASES. IT WAS ALL MADE UP. THE SUPPOSED USB DRIVE WAS A GINGER MINT. AS SOON AS HE SAID NAH AND THEN THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN STARTED
AMPLIFYING IT. THEY STARTED TO GET RACIST, VILE, HATEFUL MESSAGES ON THEIR PHONE AND ONE TALKED IN PARTICULAR ABOUT HOW SHE HAD A 14-YEAR-OLD SON AT THE TIME WHO WAS USING THAT PHONE AND SEEING SOME OF THE MESSAGES AND IT AFFECTED HIM.
HE FAILED HIS CLASSES, BOTH WOMEN HAD TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES FOR A TIME BECAUSE OF THE PHYSICAL THREATS TO THEIR SAFETY. THEY TALKED ABOUT GOING TO TRY TO APPLY FOR A JOB AT A CHICK FIL A AND THEN BEING ASKED BY THE MANAGER ABOUT THIS
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