Rudy Giuliani would be permanently barred from spreading false voting fraud allegations against two former Fulton County election workers under an agreement filed in federal court Tuesday.
Giuliani has agreed to refrain from accusing Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss of ballot stuffing to help Joe Biden win the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. If approved by a federal judge in Washington, the agreement would essentially settle the second of two defamation lawsuits the election workers brought against Giuliani.
In the first, a federal jury awarded the workers more than $148 million in damages in December. Giuliani has appealed the verdict.
Tuesday’s agreement is another victory for Freeman and Moss, whose lives were turned upside down by false fraud allegations following the 2020 election.
“We are pleased that Mr. Giuliani has finally agreed to cease spreading lies about Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss,” Michael J. Gottlieb, an attorney for the workers, said in a statement issued Tuesday. “Today ends his efforts to profit off of lies about these two heroes of American democracy.”
Ted Goodman, a spokesman for Giuliani, said that based on advice from his lawyers, the former New York City mayor had “agreed not to comment on the two specific individuals or their activities until the case is resolved.”
“He will continue to comment on everything else surrounding the 2020 election,” Goodman said, “particularly the latest developments in Fulton County.”
The agreement came the same day that Giuliani pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in Arizona involving his role in former President Donald Trump’s effort to overturn Biden’s victory. Giuliani also faces charges in Fulton County alleging election interference.
Freeman and her daughter, Moss, counted ballots at State Farm Arena on election night 2020. A month later, Giuliani unveiled security footage of the counting at a Georgia Senate hearing.
Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, said the workers ordered Republican observers to leave, then pulled out “suitcases” of illegal ballots to count in secret. He also said Freeman and Moss also shared USB drives “like they were vials of heroin or cocaine.”
State and federal investigators quickly debunked the accusations. The “suitcases” were standard ballot containers. The Republican observers admitted no one ordered them to leave — they left on their own when they thought counting was done. The USB drives were ginger mints.
Investigators said the video showed ordinary ballot counting. But Trump, Giuliani and others kept repeating the fabricated story, and the election workers received hundreds of threats. Freeman eventually fled her home on the advice of the FBI.
Since then, Freeman and Moss have sought damages in a series of defamation lawsuits. They received an undisclosed settlement from One America News Network. The Gateway Pundit recently filed for bankruptcy as it defends itself from another lawsuit.
And in December a federal jury ordered Giuliani to pay more than $148 million in damages to the election workers. He later filed for bankruptcy, and it’s not clear how much the workers will eventually collect.
After the verdict, Giuliani continued to accuse Freeman and Moss of voting fraud. That prompted them to file a second defamation lawsuit against him in federal court in Washington. Tuesday’s consent judgment essentially settles that lawsuit.
Under the terms of the agreement, Giuliani is enjoined from publishing, directly or indirectly, various fraud allegations.
“Even Rudy Giuliani knows the game is up,” said John Langford, another attorney for the election workers. “This victory sends yet another important message that our laws apply to everyone, no matter how powerful or famous.”
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