I Was Terrorized: Ruby Freeman Testifies In Rudy Giuliani Defamation Trial

Ruby Freeman , a former Georgia election worker who Rudy Giuliani repeatedly defamed, testified on Wednesday in federal court, recounting the threats she received after the longtime ally of former President Donald Trump spread lies about her in 2020

Giuliani admitted to making false statements about Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss, a Georgia election worker, after Trump lost the 2020 election. The former Trump attorney was found liable for spreading lies in August. 

In a civil defamation trial that began this week to determine how much in damages Giuliani needs to pay the workers, Freeman recounted how she received threatening letters and voicemails, violent and racist social media messages and in-person confrontations after Giuliani falsely accused her of manipulating 2020 election ballots, Politico reported . 

The threats were so severe that she was forced to upend her life, which she says is an “emotional rollercoaster” to this day. 

Throughout her testimony, the Guardian reported that she spoke in detail about the measures she had taken to not be recognized, including wearing a mask and sunglasses when she went outside and refraining from using her real name.

“I don’t have a name no more. The only thing you have in your life is your name … my life is messed up. My life is really messed up,” she said, according to the Guardian. “I was terrorized. Sometimes I don’t know who I am.”

Trump echoed the lies, notably in a recorded phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, where he pushed conspiracy theories about the Georgia election being rigged. Freeman said Trump’s amplification of the false claims exacerbated the threats she was receiving, Politico reported. Throughout the testimony, Freeman refused to say Trump’s name, instead referring to him as “45.”

“I just felt like, ‘Really?’ This is the former president talking about me? Me? How mean, how evil? I just was devastated,” Freeman said. “I didn’t do nothing. It just made me feel … you don’t care that I’m a real person.”

She continued: “He didn’t know what he was talking about really. He had no clue what he was talking about. He was just trying to put a name to somebody stealing ballots, which was totally a lie.”

Freeman said she left her home after the FBI told her that her name was on a “death list” created by someone who was arrested, Politico reported. She stayed at a friend’s house but then left to stay at an Airbnb to avoid putting them in danger.

“I felt like a homeless person because someone has to feed you, and then you have to leave,” she said, according to the Guardian. “I’d rather stay in my car and be homeless rather than put that on someone else.”

The threats continued, with some people even showing up to her doorstep demanding to speak with her, which prompted her to sell her Atlanta home and buy a new house under a new name. She remembered struggling to adjust to her new life — crying over bills she couldn’t pay without an ID, feeling afraid to introduce herself to her neighbors and refraining from engaging in community events and activities. 

“I can’t say who I am,” she said, according to the Guardian. “I miss my old neighborhood … I could introduce myself.”

Freeman’s plans for her traveling fashion boutique, LaRuby’s Unique Treasures, also took a hit because of the life changes since she had to change the business name and couldn’t travel to shows to promote it out of fear of being recognized.

The emotional testimony echoed similar sentiments Freeman had shared last year for the Jan. 6 House Committee about constantly living in fear from the abuse and threats she and her daughter faced as a result of Trump and Giuliani’s lies.

Giuliani, who is expected to take the stand on Thursday, has already been ordered to pay the legal fees of the two former election workers. Politico reported that attorneys for Freeman and Moss asked the jury for between $14 million and $41 million from Giuliani in damages.