WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 Scared for her life after Rudy Giuliani and other Donald Trump allies falsely accused her of fraud, former Georgia election worker Wandrea 鈥淪haye鈥 Moss told jurors Tuesday she seldom leaves her home, suffers from panic attacks and battles nightmares brought on by a barrage of threatening and racist messages.
Wandrea 鈥淪haye鈥 Moss took the witness stand on the that will determine how much the former New York City mayor will have to pay Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, for spreading a conspiracy theory that they rigged the state's 2020 election results. Moss noted that Giuliani just a day earlier 鈥 after the trial began 鈥 repeated the false claims about her and her mother, saying they were 鈥渆ngaged in changing votes.鈥
鈥淚 personally cannot repair my reputation at the moment because your client is still lying on me and ruining my reputation further," she told Giuliani's lawyer.
She sobbed as she testified that her life was turned upside down by the accusations, though they were quickly debunked by state officials. Her attorneys displayed a few of the graphic messages accusing her of treason and more that she received after Giuliani in December 2020 falsely accused workers at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta of tampering with ballots.
Moss told jurors that she was a bubbly, outgoing person before the conspiracy theories began, but since then she's been stuck in a lonely cycle of crying and nightmares.
鈥淚鈥檓 most scared of my son finding me and or my mom hanging in front of our house on a tree having to get news at school that his mom was killed,鈥 the 39-year-old said. At one point in January 2021, she said, someone came to her grandmother's door threatening to make a 鈥渃itizen arrest.鈥
鈥淢ost days I pray that God does not wake me up and I just disappear,鈥 Moss said.
Moss and her mother are seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages from Giuliani in the defamation case at the same time he's preparing to defend himself against . Giuliani has pleaded not guilty in the criminal case that accuses him and others of scheming to overturn Donald Trump's 2020 election loss in the state. He has denied any wrongdoing.
The trial is playing out at Washington's federal courthouse months before Trump is scheduled to stand trial there on criminal charges to stay in power. Giuliani in the federal case but the former mayor has not been charged by special counsel Jack Smith.
The judge overseeing the defamation case has already found Giuliani liable, and Giuliani has acknowledged in court that he made falsely claiming Freeman and Moss committed fraud while counting ballots. The only issue remaining in the trial is the amount of damages Giuliani will have to pay the women.
The women鈥檚 lawyers estimated that reputational damages could reach $47 million, and suggested emotional and punitive damages on top of that could be 鈥渢ens of millions.鈥
Giuliani鈥檚 lawyer has said any award should be much less, describing the damages the women are seeking as the 鈥渃ivil equivalent of the death penalty.鈥
Defense attorney Joseph Sibley has argued there鈥檚 no evidence Giuliani himself encouraged the harassment. While questioning Moss under cross-examination, Sibley said the right-wing website Gateway Pundit was the first to publish the surveillance video of the election workers rather than the former mayor. Sibley pressed Moss on the amount of money they are seeking, asking her, 鈥淎re you going to repair your reputation or use the money to do something else?鈥
Moss, who previously that investigated the Capitol attack, described being brought into her director's office after Giuliani made the claims during a Georgia legislative hearing. Moss thought her director wanted to recognize her for her election work or give her a promised promotion, she told jurors. Instead the mood in the room was somber, and soon she learned the real reason for the meeting.
鈥淚 am shown these videos, these lies, everything that had been going on that I had no clue about,鈥 Moss said.
Moss said she went home that night, scared and confused, and could only watch as the angry messages poured in. She got her long blonde hair cut off and dyed the next day, trying to reclaim some of her anonymity. She moved from the home she lived in to try to avoid the harassment, but people have found her new address, she told jurors. About two months ago, someone one mailed a picture of her face from the newspaper cut into shreds, she said.
鈥淚 was afraid for my life. I literally felt like someone going to come and attempt to hang me and there鈥檚 nothing that anyone will be able to do about it,鈥 Moss said.
Giuliani watched intently during Moss鈥檚 testimony, frequently taking notes or conferring with his lawyer. Giuliani is expected to testify.
Moss' testimony came hours after the judge scolded Giuliani for comments made outside the federal courthouse Monday in which he insisted his claims about the women were true.
鈥淲hen I testify, the whole story will be definitively clear that what I said was true, and that, whatever happened to them 鈥 which is unfortunate about other people overreacting 鈥 everything I said about them is true," Giuliani told reporters.
Giuliani added that Moss and Freeman were 鈥渆ngaged in changing votes.鈥 When a reporter pushed back, saying there was no proof of that, Giuliani replied: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e damn right there is. ... Stay tuned.鈥
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell warned Giuliani's lawyer that his client's remarks amounted to 鈥渄efamatory statements about them yet again.鈥 The judge was incredulous, asking Giuliani鈥檚 lawyer about the contradiction of his opening statements calling Freeman and Moss 鈥済ood people鈥 but then the former mayor repeating unfounded allegations of voter fraud.
鈥淗ow are we supposed to reconcile that?" she asked the lawyer.
Sibley conceded her point and told the judge he discussed the comments with his client, but added, 鈥淚 can't control everything he does." He also argued that the mayor鈥檚 age and health concerns make long days in court challenging.
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Richer reported from Boston.
