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Dec. 14 (UPI) -- The jury in the federal civil defamation trial of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will continue deliberations on Friday after hearing testimony from witnesses in a Washington, D.C., courtroom Thursday. "The jury's ready to go home," U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell told attorneys for both parties at 5 p.m. ET.
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The jury will return Friday morning to continue to work toward a verdict.
Jurors deliberated for more than three hours Thursday without reaching a decision on the amount of damages Rudy Giuliani will have to pay Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea ArShaye Moss, who say Giuliani defamed them during their work at the polls during the 2020 election.
Giuliani, who was originally scheduled to testify, did not take the stand.
Giuliani, acting on behalf of former President Donald Trump, accused the mother and daughter of committing election fraud while the two were counting ballots on Election Day in Georgia's Fulton County.
Giuliani, a former attorney for former President Donald Trump, had been listed as a witness and was expected to testify after indicating he might in comments after leaving the courthouse on Wednesday.
"I intend to, but you always leave them guessing," he said on his way into the courthouse.
Howell found in August that Giuliani is legally liable for defaming the election workers, who are seeking between $15.5 million and $43.5 million in penalties against Giuliani.
The two election workers, Freeman and Moss testified this week that Giuliani's lies about them resulted in an avalanche of vicious threats and harassment.
Freeman, visibly shaken at times, testified Wednesday about being terrorized by the threats triggered by Giuliani's election lies.
She testified one of the threats said, "They are coming for you. I'm not far behind. I'm coming for you also. Trash will be taken to the street in bags."
She interpreted that as a threat to cut her up and put her in trash bags.
Moss told the jury she was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and acute stress disorder caused by the threats and harassment triggered by Giuliani's lies.
Giuliani attorney Joseph Sibley admitted during opening statements in the trial Monday that harm was done to Freeman and Moss, but he argued the amount being sought by them is excessive.
The judge said Tuesday he may have defamed the workers again in comments he made outside the courtroom when he said he didn't regret the lies he told about Freeman and Moss.
"Of course I don't regret it," Giuliani said about his past defamatory comments targeting the Fulton County election workers. "They were engaging in changing votes."
He faces criminal charges in a separate state case for allegedly conspiring to reverse Georgia's 2020 presidential election results, violating Georgia's racketeering act and soliciting a public officer to break their oath.
