Rudy Giuliani backs down from testifying in his own defense in $43 million election worker defamation trial
Rudy Giuliani flashed a toothy grin as his lawyer told the judge he wouldn't testify after all.
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- Rudy Giuliani isn't taking the witness stand in his defamation trial.
- Two Georgia election workers took him to court to determine how much he owes them for espousing false conspiracy theories.
- By not taking the stand, Giuliani isn't presenting any defense case at all.
Rudy Giuliani won't take the witness stand after all.
The former personal lawyer for Donald Trump and New York City mayor has decided not to testify in his ongoing defamation trial brought by two Georgia election workers, who he falsely said manipulated ballots in the 2020 election.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Weandra "Shaye" Moss, rested their case on Wednesday afternoon.
In the Washington, D.C., federal court, Freeman testified about the horrific racist death threats she received following Giuliani pushing the false conspiracy theories about her and her daughter.
Ashlee Humphries, a marketing expert, calculated for her testimony that Giuliani caused up to $47.5 million in damage to their reputations. Freeman and Moss are asking for a high range of up to $43 million in damage.
Giuliani told journalists after court Wednesday that he would "keep them guessing" as to whether he'd take the witness stand. US District Judge Beryl Howell said in court Thursday that his attorney, Joseph D. Sibley, had said in an email at 6 p.m. Wednesday that he would not testify.
Giuliani gave a toothy grin as Sibley confirmed Thursday that he would not testify after all.
By not taking the witness stand, Giuliani isn't presenting any case at all. Howell has already ruled he's liable for defaming Freeman and Moss, and that the jury just needs to come up with a dollar amount for the damages. He hasn't presented another expert witness to contradict Humphries's $47.5 million "upper bound" figure.
Aside from the defamation case from Freeman and Moss, Giuliani has a number of other legal threats.
He is also under indictment in Georgia for his efforts to overturn the election results in the state, along with Donald Trump and about a dozen other defendants.
Smartmatic and Dominion Voting Systems, two election technology companies that were also the subject of false conspiracy theories Giuliani espoused, have pending civil defamation lawsuits against him as well.