Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's trial in Washington, D.C. continues this week as he faces defamation claims from Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea "Shaye" Moss. The trial aims to determine the extent of the damages caused by Giuliani's accusations of election fraud against the two women during the aftermath of the 2020 election.

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell had previously awarded a default judgment to Freeman and Moss in August, prompting this week's trial to assess the full scope of the damages and any potential penalties Giuliani may have to pay. Freeman and Moss are seeking an amount ranging between $15.5 million and $43 million.

A communications expert, Dr. Ashlee Humphreys, took the stand as a witness for the plaintiffs and testified about the significant and lasting negative impact Giuliani's defamatory statements had on Moss and Freeman's reputations. Humphreys estimated that it would cost between $17.8 million and $47.4 million to repair the reputational harm suffered by the two election workers.

Humphreys explained that repairing the reputations of Moss and Freeman would require a comprehensive campaign that includes releasing statements in various media outlets, engaging influencers, and running media advertisements over an extended period. The goal of such a campaign would be to counteract the damage caused by Giuliani's false claims.

During her testimony, Humphreys highlighted the increase in online search traffic related to Freeman following Giuliani's statements. Prior to December 3, 2020, there was little to no search traffic, but afterwards, there was a dramatic surge over several months. Search terms including "Ruby Freeman arrested," "Ruby Freeman fraud," and "Ruby Freeman FBI" gained traction during that period.

Humphreys also analyzed the reach of Giuliani's false election fraud claims on social media. She revealed that a podcast episode from December 23, 2020, in which Giuliani mentioned Moss and Freeman, received between 584,855 and 807,751 impressions. Additionally, an advertising post by the Trump campaign falsely accusing Freeman and Moss of ballot stuffing garnered between 8 million and 18.2 million impressions.

The trial is entering its third day, with the possibility that the attorneys for Moss and Freeman may rest their case today. Freeman is expected to take the stand following Dr. Ashlee Humphreys' testimony to provide her account of the events. Lawyers for the plaintiffs are also planning to call an expert witness who will evaluate the impact of Giuliani's statements and determine the cost to repair the reputational damage suffered by Moss and Freeman.

Giuliani found himself once again in the crosshairs of the judge following remarks made after court and online. Judge Howell asked Giuliani to explain these remarks, emphasizing that they appeared to violate an order. Giuliani insisted that if there was a violation, it was accidental.

Day 3 of the trial is set to begin with the viewing of a witness deposition video, which will conclude the series of deposition videos presented in court the previous day. The next expert witness is also expected to testify about the impact of Giuliani's statements on the reputation of the election workers and the estimated cost required for damage repair.