Shay Moss and Ruby Freeman Defamation Lawsuit
Fulton County, Georgia / 2020
On January 6th, 2021, the same day crowds stormed the U.S. Capitol calling to overturn the 2020 election, another mob gathered at the home of former Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman. Ms. Freeman was not at the residence that day as the FBI had warned her to flee, following months of harassment and violent threats. Rudy Giuliani, then Donald Trump’s lead lawyer, had made false claims that Ms. Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss had engaged in voter fraud following the election, devaluing the election workers with baseless accusations.
The women endured months of racist threats and strangers banging on their doors. Ruby Freeman’s online boutique was flooded with harassing messages, several of which mentioned lynching. Freeman eventually had to sell her home and lived out of her car, as the relentless harassment made friends and neighbors afraid to be associated with her.
Despite the inaction of official channels including the FBI, the Fulton County Police, and the Governmental Bureau of Investigation who refused to interfere while they investigated the claims against the former election workers, Moss and Freeman refused to silently endure the threats. The women started a GoFundMe and eventually secured legal representation from Protect Democracy's Law for Truth Project to file a defamation suit against Rudy Guiliani. Moss and Freeman shared powerful testimonies, and their legal team secured national media coverage aimed at revealing the false claims and redeeming the pair’s courageous actions and values.
In 2023, a jury ruled in favor of Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss awarding them just over $148M in compensatory and punitive damages from Giuliani. After over a year of attempting to avoid paying damages through bankruptcy claims, courts ruled in 2024 to seize the former lawyer's personal assets. Guiliani has lost his position on Trump's team, significant personal wealth and influence, and his license to practice law in both New York and Washington. Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss have been labeled "modern day American heroes" for their courage in standing up against injustice and represent an important symbol to election workers across the country who have experienced increases in threats of political violence in the aftermath of the 2020 election.