Fabian Basabe found liable; jury awards $450,000 to staffers
A Leon County jury on Wednesday found Florida state Rep. Fabian Basabe liable in a civil case brought by former staffers, awarding $450,000 in damages. The Miami Beach Republican, who represented himself, faced sexual harassment and related claims from a former aide and intern after a rocky Tallahassee trial.
Key Takeaways
- A Leon County jury found Fabian Basabe liable and awarded $450,000 after about two hours of deliberation.
- Former aide Nicolas Frevola and former intern Jacob Cutbirth alleged unwanted touching and workplace sexual harassment; Frevola’s mother joined defamation claims.
- Basabe, a non-lawyer, represented himself and faced repeated courtroom admonishments during the trial.
- He has not been criminally charged; a Florida House-commissioned ethics review was reported as inconclusive.
What did the jury decide in the Fabian Basabe case?
According to WPLG Local 10, jurors returned a liability verdict Wednesday afternoon against state Rep. Fabian Basabe, R-Miami Beach. The panel awarded $450,000 in damages after roughly two hours of deliberation.
The civil lawsuit was brought by former legislative staffers who accused Basabe of sexually harassing them while they worked in his office. Tweets, text messages, and photos were among the evidence presented at trial.
Readers following courtroom accountability stories can find more coverage in our True Crime & Unsolved Mysteries section.
What did former staffers allege against Basabe?
Former aide Nicolas Frevola and former intern Jacob Cutbirth alleged inappropriate touching and other unprofessional conduct. The Florida Trib reported claims that Basabe grilled the men about their sex lives, used graphic language, and showed an image of a naked man on his phone.
Plaintiffs also alleged nonconsensual touching, including that Basabe slapped a legislative aide on the buttocks during an elementary school career day in 2022. Cutbirth alleged Basabe tried to kiss him before hiring him as an intern and later made unwelcome sexual comments, including calling him “eye candy.”
Frevola’s mother, Janette Frevola, joined the case with defamation claims tied to Basabe’s public response after a House-linked review. The Miami Herald reported Basabe denied the allegations at trial and testified that his ex-aide “was always a loser,” while earlier social media posts labeled Frevola and his mother a “conning, scheming mother and son duo.”
How did Basabe handle the Tallahassee trial?
Basabe is not a lawyer and has never attended law school, yet he chose to represent himself. Local 10 described rocky closing arguments, including moments when he texted on his phone and said he accidentally deleted a page of notes.
Judge J. Lee Marsh repeatedly admonished Basabe for what the Florida Trib described as “staggering” violations of procedures and court orders, at one point raising mistrial concerns. Basabe told jurors that publicity is not proof and insisted only evidence matters.
Basabe has not been charged with a crime over the allegations. An external ethics investigation for the Florida House was described as inconclusive. He is up for re-election this fall.