In a bold move to defend their tarnished reputations, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, the mother-daughter duo who faced a barrage of baseless election fraud accusations from Rudy Giuliani, are taking him to court once more. Despite a decisive $148 million defamation victory against Giuliani, the pair are suing him again for his relentless spread of the same debunked claims that sparked their initial lawsuit.
The saga began when Giuliani, a key figure in former President Donald Trump’s legal team during the 2020 elections, falsely accused Freeman and Moss of election fraud. His allegations not only damaged their reputations but also exposed them to racist attacks and personal threats from Trump’s zealous followers. What’s striking is Giuliani’s unabashed persistence in making these claims, even after the court’s judgment.
In a brazen display of defiance, Giuliani maintained his stance in a press conference following the judgment. His audacity didn’t end there; he went on to play the victim on Newsmax programs, accusing Freeman and Moss of suing him to “lie.”
Recognizing the gravity of Giuliani’s continued defamatory statements, Freeman and Moss’s legal team has taken a firm stand. Their new lawsuit not only demands immediate payment of the court fees and the $148 million judgment but also calls for a “targeted injunction” to halt Giuliani’s ongoing defamation. This injunction, if granted and then violated, could land Giuliani in jail for up to 18 months.
The legal community is divided on the potential success of this new legal strategy. CNN’s legal analyst Elie Honig points out the First Amendment’s strong protection against prior restraints on speech, suggesting that while Freeman and Moss can sue for damages post-defamation, preventing Giuliani from speaking beforehand might be challenging. However, former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade sees merit in this “really clever” lawsuit. The prospect of jail time, she argues, could finally compel Giuliani to cease spreading his harmful falsehoods.
This case is more than just another legal battle; it’s a fight against the reckless spread of misinformation and the harm it inflicts on innocent individuals. Freeman and Moss’s courageous stand sends a powerful message: that those who propagate baseless allegations for political gain must face consequences for their actions. Their resolve to hold Giuliani accountable not only seeks justice for themselves but also defends the integrity of the democratic process against those who seek to undermine it with unfounded claims.
