Florida Rep. Fabián Basabe is set to swap the state Capitol for a Leon County courtroom next week, and he plans to do it without a lawyer at his side. Jury selection is scheduled for Friday, with opening statements and witness testimony expected to begin Monday. The civil case, filed in 2023, accuses the Miami Beach Republican of sexual harassment, battery and defamation. Basabe has denied the allegations.
Basabe will represent himself at trial
The long-running dispute shifted gears after Basabe’s attorney, Gus Harper, withdrew from the case in March 2025 and told the court that Basabe desires to represent himself and had been warned about the risks of going solo. That move, along with Basabe’s stated refusal to settle, was detailed in reporting by the Miami Herald. By acting as his own lawyer, Basabe will be able to question witnesses directly and take the stand on his own terms, a setup some observers expect will make for a more theatrical trial.
What the plaintiffs have alleged
The civil complaint, filed in Leon County Circuit Court, alleges a pattern of lewd comments, unwanted touching and two counts of battery tied to separate incidents. In one, Basabe is accused of groping and trying to kiss an FSU graduate student in a car. In another, he is alleged to have slapped a legislative aide during a school career day event. Plaintiffs Nicholas (Nick) Frevola and Jacob Cutbirth have also accused Basabe of defamation over public statements, according to the filing on Scribd.
Witnesses to watch and courtroom timeline
The plaintiffs’ witness list features several current and former state lawmakers who could be called to testify, including Sen. Jason Pizzo, former Rep. Josie Tomkow and Rep. Alina Garcia, according to prior reporting. The same reporting notes that the list also includes a man who alleges an older sexual assault in Los Angeles and that actor Cuba Gooding Jr. appeared on earlier versions of the list but was later removed. Jury selection is set for Friday, with opening statements and witness testimony slated to start Monday. The Miami Herald reports the trial is expected to run several days.
House probes and competing accounts
Separate probes commissioned by the Florida House brought in outside investigators, whose reports were described as inconclusive. Internal reviews did not definitively back up some of the slapping and harassment allegations. Coverage by CBS Miami has tracked how investigators characterized those interviews and how witnesses later described the same conversations. The fallout over what the House did, and did not, do with those findings has sparked more legal wrangling and a steady stream of public criticism.
The local stakes
For Miami Beach and coastal Miami-Dade, the case is not some far-off Tallahassee drama. Basabe remains a prominent lawmaker in the area, and the lawsuit has unfolded alongside his political life. Coverage of his recent campaigns, including his 2024 re-election bid, has followed how the accusations and internal investigations have intersected with his standing back home. For a deeper look at that political backdrop, see reporting from Florida Politics.
What to expect in court
All eyes next week will be on the Leon County courtroom where Basabe will sit at the defense table alone, facing plaintiffs who plan to call elected officials and a man who accuses Basabe of a decades-old assault in Los Angeles. Because much of the case turns on which witnesses jurors believe, both sides are expected to lean heavily on cross-examination and documentary evidence in the early days of trial.
