Political opponents ready to replace Fabian Basabe following liable verdict in civil trial

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — One day after a jury found State Rep. Fabian Basabe liable for sexually harassing two former male staffers, the Republican lawmaker is reacting to the verdict, as are his political opponents.

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Basabe also spoke to the sometimes awkwardly embarrassing attempt at acting as his own lawyer during the civil trial despite never attending law school.

In a statement, Basabe said, in part:

“I chose to defend myself because I am still naïve enough to believe that truth matters, that an ordinary citizen can stand in court, defend himself, and be judged on the facts. Looking back, representing myself was a mistake. I underestimated how different civil litigation is from what most people believe.”

Lucia Baez Geller is a former Miami-Dade School Board member who is now running as a Democrat to unseat Basabe.

“I believe that District 106 deserves better,” said Geller. “Its time that we turn the page and have a real trusted leader like myself, who has results to come in and really deliver for the people.”

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Ashley Litwin Diego is a federal criminal defense attorney and breast cancer survivor who is also on the Democratic primary ballot for District 106.

“Integrity, I mean with me, what you see is what you get,” said Diego. “I think a lot of people are frustrated, not only with the local leadership like with someone like Fabian Basabe, seeing what he’s done, but also the national leadership.”

The jury awarded the victims $450,000.

Nicholas Frevola, one of the plaintiffs in the suit, praised the verdict by writing on social media, “I won and beat the political establishment at their own game!”

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