Basabe hires Trump ally to challenge $450,000 verdict

Fabian Basabe hired Peter Ticktin, a Deerfield Beach attorney and Donald Trump’s childhood friend, to challenge a $450,000 verdict in Leon County Circuit Court. Ticktin filed a 25-page motion arguing Basabe did not get a fair trial because he represented himself, a move that pushes the fallout from the Tallahassee courtroom into Miami-Dade politics.

The verdict came after a Leon County jury found Basabe liable in a civil case accusing him of sexual harassment, battery and defamation. The case involved two former male staffers, Jacob Cutbirth and Nicolas Frevola, and the trial unfolded before Judge J. Lee Marsh, who repeatedly admonished Basabe for violating court orders. In court, Basabe handled his own defense, a choice Ticktin now says hurt his chances before the jury.

The dispute did not begin with the verdict. In July 2023, Basabe was already facing a lawsuit from two staffers who said he sexually harassed them, and one said he slapped him in the face. By the time the case reached trial, the allegations had become a public test of how a Miami Beach lawmaker handles a highly personal legal fight inside Florida’s court system.

The political layer has only deepened the scrutiny. House Republicans donated $18,000 to Basabe’s campaign before the sexual harassment trial, tying party money to a case that has drawn attention in Tallahassee and Miami Beach alike. Basabe’s decision to enlist Ticktin, a lawyer with a direct Trump connection, suggests he wants more than a routine appeal argument. He is also trying to shape the political damage around a verdict that now sits at the center of his record.

For Miami Beach voters and city colleagues, the case is no longer just about a civil judgment. It now raises questions about judgment, alliances and credibility for one of the area’s most polarizing elected figures, as he tries to keep a court loss from becoming a broader political liability.