>> happy birthday, jimmy! >> happy birthday, brother! >> yea ♪ blunt to my lips gun on my hip hi mom hi kids ♪ ♪ this life's gonna be the death of me ♪ thank you. [ cheering and applause ] ♪ this is "nightline." >> byron: tonight, stunning verdict. rudy giuliani ordered to pay nearly $150 million to former election workers ruby freeman and shea moss. >> we hope no one ever has to fight so hard just to get your name back.

>> byron: the mother and daughter's lives ruined when donald trump's former attorney falsely claimed they engaged in election fraud, prompting so much harassment, they both left their homes. >> you're going to jail, ruby. you're going to get locked up, ruby. >> byron: are more legal trouble on this the horizon as the man once known as america's mayor? matthew perry. the cause of death for the beloved "friends" star revealed less than two months after he was found unresponsive in his hot tub. george clooney. >> and action! >> byron: back behind the camera as director, telling the story of the boys in the boat. >> a boat full of underdogs representing an underdog nation. >> people ask, did you get in the boat? no, i'm not an idiot, i'm 62. >> byron: why the movie is about more than rowing. >> the major theme is, we've got to do things together. we're better, all of us, together. >> byron: the one thing the

multi-talented actor just can't do. >> you can't be great at everything, man. how do i do it all? with a little help. and to support my family's immune health, i choose airborne. it has an unbeatable amount of vitamin c, plus a unique blend of immune focused ingredients to turn up our immune support. airborne theo's nose was cause for alarm, so dad brought puffs plus lotion to save it from harm. puffs has 50% more lotion and brings soothing relief. don't get burned by winter nose. a nose in need deserves puffs indeed. america's #1 lotion tissue.

♪tasty glazed turkeys that won't be forgotten♪ ♪their warm mac and cheese has us feasting like kings♪ ♪these are a few of my favorite things♪ every bite is a celebration with the honey baked ham company >> byron: good evening. thank you for joining us. a stunning award of damages in the defamation case against rudy giuliani. former president donald trump's attorney now facing a monumental verdict. here's abc's senior national correspondent terry moran.

>> the lies rudy giuliani told about me and my mommy after the 2020 presidential election have changed our lives. >> reporter: a step toward justice for shea moss and her mother, ruby freeman, after being awarded nearly $150 million in their long legal fight against rudy giuliani to restore their good names. >> money will never solve all of my problems. i can never move back into the house that i called home. i will always have to be careful about where i go and who i choose to share my name with. i miss my home. i miss my neighbors. and i miss my name. >> reporter: the two former georgia election workers sued donald trump's former attorney for defamation after he repeatedly and publicly made false accusations that the pair

committed election fraud on election night in 2020. >> i have no doubt that my comments were made and they were supportable and are supportable today. >> reporter: giuliani's defense? he had a constitutional right to free speech. >> it happens that juries will award amounts in excess of what plaintiffs seek. but not like this. this is a gigantic award. >> reporter: the team arguing the immense emotional distress inflicted upon the mother and daughter would be difficult to overestimate, as the duo testified to congress last year. >> it's turned my life upside down. >> i've lost my sense of security. all because a group of people, starting with number 45, and his ally, rudy giuliani, decided to scapegoat me and my daughter, shea. >> reporter: the night man began for ruby and shea in early december 2020 when video started

circulating on conservative media outlets that would change their lives forever. >> they're both looking this way, she's reaching right here, she grabs something, she's looking over here -- >> reporter: this video supposedly showed ruby passing shea a usb drive of stolen votes. what did you pass her? >> i had ginger mints in my purse. that's what i had. that's all i had to give her. >> these are now the most famous mints in america. this is what rudy giuliani said was an attempt to rig the election. >> yes. >> yeah. >> reporter: giuliano helped amplify the false description of these videos, appearing in front of the georgia state legislature. >> it's a tape earlier in the day of ruby freeman and shea freeman moss, and one other gentleman, quite obviously surreptitiously passing around usb ports as if they're vials of heroin or cocaine. >> reporter: donald trump

himself also repeated the outrageous accusation in a phone call to georgia secretary of state brad raffensperger. >> 18,000 voters having to do with ruby freeman, she's a vote scammer, a professional vote scammer and hustler. >> reporter: from the moment those videos went viral, ruby and shea started getting threats. >> i have to admit, i looked at every single one. they were saying that i should be hung. me and my mom will die. and, you know, like -- burning crosses. >> reporter: both women shared more about their ordeal in emotional testimony this week. shea saying messages she got like, "be glad it's 2020 and not 1920" made her afraid for her life. ruby said a stranger hoped the two would be hanged at the u.s. capitol. "i pray that i will be sitting close enough to hear your neck snap." giuliani declined to testify at the trial, but he doubled down

outside the courthouse. >> do you regret. >> of course i don't regret, i told the truth. they were engaged in changing votes. >> there's no proof of that. >> you're damn right there is. >> reporter: today's judgment is just the most recent setback in the years-long fall from grace for the 79-year-old once known as america's mayor. rudolph giuliani burst onto the scene in the 1980s. >> giuliani cultivated an image as a mafia fighter. he successfully used what was a relatively new racketeering statute to prosecute members of organized crime. he successfully rode that image into city hall in new york. >> throughout our history, the principle that no person is above or beyond the law has been etched into the foundation of the american legal system. >> reporter: in 1993, giuliani beat indumb bent david dinkins in a race for mayor of new york city.

>> there was a feeling new york city was ungovernable. giuliani took the reins of the city, and it was clear who was boss from day one there. and he did a magnificent job, in many ways. >> reporter: andrewky kirkman s covered giuliani for three decades. >> if you're new york mayor, you're a national celebrity. his appearances on "saturday night live." he was at yankee stadium weekly. he loved the limelight. >> reporter: he even paraded in drag in 1997. >> you like this? nice, right? you like it, huh? >> reporter: but then unimaginable tragedy struck new york city. >> we just got a report in that there's been some sort of explosion at the world trade center in new york city. >> reporter: on september 11th, 2001, giuliani became the leader a stunned nation needed. earning that nickname "america's mayor." >> the number of casualties will be more than any of us can bear,

ultimately. >> rudy giuliani became a national political figure in the aftermath of 9/11 as he shepherded the city through its darkest day. and he was a comforting voice at the time. >> reporter: after a short bid for the white house in 2008, he returned to politics when his longtime friend, donald trump, ran for president. >> it was that desperation for power and to regain the kind of fame and affluence that he had after 9/11. and that's what drew him into the arms of donald trump. >> reporter: he became trump's personal lawyer and almost instantly landed in legal hot water. >> disaster follows rudy giuliani wherever he goes. and never was that so obvious as in the ukraine scandal where he was out to prove that joe biden was a crook, that hunter biden was funneli iing money to joe biden. and he was wrong. he caused so many problems that he literally got his president

impeached. >> reporter: his loyalty to trump remains steadfast, culminating in his leading evidently efforts to help overturn the results of the 2020 election. in addition to the financial burden, giuliani faces other serious legal challenges including 13 felony indictments from fulton county, georgia, to which he's pled not guilty. identified as an unindicted coconspirator in jack smith's election interference case. and a sexual suit, charges he denies. >> by his own account he does not appear to have very much in the way of income, let alone anything close to the $150 million the jury awarded. >> reporter: giuliani is saying he will appeal today's ruling. while he might get the damages reduced some, it's a long shot and a long way down for a man who was famous in the 1980s for declaring that no one is above the law. >> the flame that giuliani lit

with those lies and passed to so many others to keep that flame blazing changed every aspect of our lives. our homes, our family, our work, our sense of safety, our mental health. and we're still working to rebuild. >> byron: our thanks to terry. george clooney. he acts, he directs, he dances. but he says there's one family talent he did not inherit. ect f. i prep without pills. with apretude, a prescription medicine used to reduce the risk of hiv without daily prep pills. with one shot every other month, just 6 times a year. in studies, apretude was proven superior to a daily prep pill in reducing the risk of hiv. you must be hiv negative to receive apretude and get tested before each injection. if you think you were exposed to hiv or have flu-like symptoms, tell your doctor right away. apretude does not prevent other sexually transmitted infections. practice safer sex to reduce your risk.

don't take apretude if you're allergic to it or taking certain medicines, as they may interact. tell your doctor if you've had liver problems or mental health concerns. if you have a rash or other allergic reactions, stop apretude and get medical help right away. serious side effects include allergic reactions, liver problems, and depression. some of the most common side effects include injection-site reactions and headache. you must receive apretude as scheduled. ask your doctor about long-acting apretude. and prep without pills. save at apretude.com sometimes jonah wrestles with falling asleep... ...so he takes zzzquil. the world's #1 sleep aid brand. and wakes up feeling like himself. get the rest to be your best with non-habit forming zzzquil. ♪ ♪ mr. clean magic eraser powers through tough messes. so it makes it look like i spent hours cleaning! and you know i didn't. it makes my running shoe look like new. it's amazing! wow, it makes it look like...

i don't have kids at all. it's so good, it makes it look like i have magical powers! with 80% less scrubbing, mr. clean magic eraser makes cleaning easy. also available in sheets! ah mornings! cough? congestion? i'm feeling better. all in one and done with new mucinex kickstart. headache? better now. new mucinex kickstart gives all-in-one and done relief with a morning jolt of instant cooling sensation. it's comeback season.

to the next. did they even send my lab work...? wait, was i supposed to bring that? then there's the forms. the bills. the 'not a bills.' the.... ”press 4 to repeat these options.” [chaotic music] [inspirational music] healthcare can get a whole lot easier when your medical records, care and coverage are in one place. at kaiser permanente, all of us work together for all that is you.

♪ george clooney is back behind the camera where he's made a name for himself helming films about the struggles of man

and fighting overwhelming odds. his new movie, "the boys in the boat," is right on target. here's abc's michael strahan. >> reporter: you're back at it again. >> i've got twins at home, i've got to get out of the house, nothing else to do. >> reporter: oscar-winning actor married to an internationally acclaimed human rights attorney. now he's back behind the camera directing a new film, "the boys in the boat." >> people asked me, did you get in the boat? i'm like, what am i, an idiot? no. get in a boat? i'm not stupid, i'm 62. >> reporter: it's a story set at the height of the great depression, telling the true against all odds tale of the university of washington men's rowing team journey to winning gold at the 1936 berlin olympics. >> a boat full of underdogs representing an underdog nation. >> these kids rowed not because they were a legacy, but they wanted to eat. >> reporter: poor students wanting to earn a spot on the

team for housing and food. >> in the movie when they said it, i got chills. "those who want to against those who have to." >> because, you know, there is that difference. we like to think of ourselves as americans as the pull yourself up by the bootstraps kind of people. but the truth is, if you don't have bootstraps, it's pretty rough. >> the boys in that boat shine on. >> reporter: once they made the team, the boys had to learn their new sport. >> life imitates art in this movie. the actors had to learn to row? >> they'd never rowed. we killed them. we murdered those guys. rowing's hard. >> i did a quick rowing thing for a quick shoot. >> you did? >> yeah, but never really rowed for five minutes. i don't think i ever want to row again. >> no, you don't need to. >> i'm good. >> reporter: the team becoming so good that they beat out all other schools and went on to win the olympics. this movie's about much more than rowing. >> yeah, there's something about

this. you really can only do it if you all work in exact unison. if you're all willing to sacrifice for the other person and not for personal glory. the major theme was, we've got to do things together. we need to be together. we're better, all of us, together. >> reporter: you nailed it. it had me crying. you nailed it. >> you cry a lot. >> reporter: yeah, i do, i'm a very sensitive man. george clooney is nephew of the famous actress and sing eros marry clooney, seen here on "the ed sullivan show." ♪ i ain't got nobody ♪ >> reporter: he rose to fame on the drama "e.r." playing pediatrician dr. doug ross. >> i did my residency there. >> reporter: from there, he was catapulted to stardom. >> you get the ice, i'll get the iceman. >> reporter: landing leading roles like "batman" and "batman

and robin." playing dank robber danny ocean. >> when that perfect hand comes along, you bet big, then you take the house. >> reporter: winning an oscar for "syriana." >> i was almost killed. >> all right, boy, follow my lead. >> reporter: the indie hit "o brother, where art thousand?" proved to be harter. >> we hear you pay good money to sing into a can. >> they brought me in to sing "man of constant are so i row" because they assumed rosemary clooney was my aunt, and i could sing. and i thought i could sing. then i got in the recording studio, i sang that song. i finished. sounded like a cat caught in the wheel well of a car. rroowwww! okay, bring in your guy. >> reporter: clooney ended up help syncing, the vocals dubbed in. ♪ i am a man of constant

sorrow ♪ >> reporter: you can't be great at everything. >> come on, man. i'm a very good dancer, though. >> reporter: "the boys in the boat" is the ninth movie clooney has directed do you like being behind the camera? >> behind camera's fun because you get to be the boss. it's more creative. >> reporter: while clooney's career soared, many in hollywood doubted he would ever settle down. until he met barrister amal alma mu dean. >> i always focused on career and i thought that was 97. i was very happy, i was satisfied with it. then when i met someone that i loved and it felt like there was more there, but -- it's exponentially so much more. >> reporter: the couple got married in a star-studded ceremony in venice, italy, in 2014. you're coming up on your 10-year anniversary. >> yeah, can you believe it? >> reporter: you two still write each other letters? >> yeah. because she doesn't want to talk to me in person. >> reporter: i was going to say, that is a key to success,

instead of talking? writing letters? >> i do like letters. we write our kids a letter every summer about where we are in the world. we haven't given them to them. we have stacks we'll give them when they're old enough to understand. >> reporter: we both have twins. what is the most surprising thing to you about twins? >> twins tell you a lot. when you have twins when you're rizzing them the same time, the same way, and they're completely different human beings, you realize how little say you have in who they are. >> reporter: i've always said, "you're in the same house, what's happening? how? how? you're so different." what's the least surprising thing? >> i suppose how joyous it all is. it was a big surprise, because i'm old, you know. and so to start at 56 to have, you know, kids, it's a lot. i thought, all right, we'll have a kid. then when the doctor goes, "yeah, there's a second one there." and i was like, really? that worried me.

but it's all so much -- you know, there -- what it adds to your life, you know -- everything is more fun. everything. >> reporter: we're not done. rapid fire. >> okay, go. >> reporter: person you'd trade places with for a day? >> victor wembanyama. >> you want to be -- >> i want to look down on a rim. i want to -- i have dreams. i don't think this is rapid fire. i tell you, i have dreams. >> reporter: tell me about your dreams. >> i'll wake up. i dream i jump up with the ball, i'm going up. i keep going up. all of a sudden i'm looking down on the rim. i'm jamming. then i wake up. i'm like, man, i can dunk! >> reporter: best piece of advice you've ever gotten? >> my father has always drilled into us, from the time i was a little kid, my sister and me, which was always, challenge people with more power than you, and defend people with less power. if you do only that, then you will have had a successful life.

>> byron: wise advice. our thanks to michael. when we come back, matthew perry's cause of death revealed. i have moderate to severe crohn's disease. now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are looking up, i've got symptom relief. ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi is the first il-23 inhibitor that can deliver remission and visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. and the majority of people experienced long-lasting remission at one year. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease. ♪ now's the time to ask your gastroenterologist how you can take control of your crohn's with skyrizi.

♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ ♪ learn how abbvie could help you save. [♪] ♪ did you know, there's a way to cut your dishwashing time by 50%? try dawn powerwash dish spray. it removes 99% of grease and grime in half the time. dawn powerwash has 3 cleaning boosters not found in traditional dish soaps that remove food and grease 5 times faster. and, because it cleans so well you can replace multiple cleaning products for counters, stoves, and even laundry stains. try dawn powerwash dish spray. brand power, helping you buy better.

from the state that's already helped millions of people like you get and pay for health insurance. with financial health to lower the cost of health coverage, you could get a quality health plan for less than $10 a month. every plan covers preventive care, doctor visits, emergency care, and more. if you have questions, we're here to help every step of the way. covered california. this way to health insurance. enroll by december 31 at coveredca.com.

loving this pay bump in our allowance. wonder where mom and dad this got the extra money?nce. maybe they won the lottery? maybe they inherited a fortune? maybe buried treasure? maybe it fell off a truck? maybe they heard that xfinity customers can save hundreds when they buy one unlimted line and get one free. now i can buy that electric scooter! i'm starting a private-equity fund that specializes in midcap. you do you. visit xfinitymobile.com today. ♪

finally tonight, the cause of death of "friends" star matthew perry. an autopsy shows matthew perry died from the acute effects of ketamine. >> it's very dangerous when you're in a hot tub or in a pool or something like that because you become so sedated. >> byron: perry was found unresponsive in his hot tub. the actor had a ang struggled with addiction, detailed in a memoir. jennifer aniston revealing she had spoken to perry the day he died saying, "he was happy." that's "nightline" for tonight. catch full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here monday. thanks for the company, america. have a good and safe weekend.