State Rep. Basabe found liable of sexual harassment, defamation, battery by jury

Last week, a jury in Tallahassee found that Republican State Representative Fabian Basabe sexually harassed two of his male staffers and committed battery against both. The jury also found Basabe defamed one of those staffers as well as that young man's mother on social media.

Basabe, who represents a district that stretches from Miami Beach to Aventura, was ordered by the jury to pay the young men $450,000 for their pain and suffering.

The sordid life of Fabian Basabe is one CBS News Miami first began covering on this show three years ago. A middling former reality TV star, Basabe was best known for his boorish, obnoxious behavior in South Beach. But after marrying the heiress to a lingerie fortune, Basabe used his wealth to win election to the Florida House in 2022.

Back in 2023, we reported on the allegations of sexual harassment and physical abuse that Basabe inflicted on his young male staffers, but this week, for the first time, we heard from those men directly when they took the stand.

They both described repeated sexual overtures made by Basabe.

Nicolas Frevola, his legislative aide at the time, described an incident at North Beach Elementary. As Frevola and Basabe were standing in the back of a classroom during career day.

ATTORNEY: I would like for you to tell the jury what he said and what he did.

FREVOLA: He whispered in my ear, "I want all of that butt," and proceeded to slap my buttocks.

Frevola then demonstrated for the jury how it happened.

Frevola said Basabe showed an inordinate interest in his sex life and in a scene more fitting for the Real Housewives of New Jersey than the Florida Capitol. Frevola said Basabe unexpectedly assaulted him at a legislative reception following Ron DeSantis's 2023 inauguration.

FREVOLA: And then Mr. Basabe pointed at Karis and says, "Hey, isn't that the girl you slept with and went home with a couple of weeks ago?" I then turned to Mr. Basabe and said "No, it's not her," and he said, "Oh, so you are cheating on her," and he (illustrating a slapping motion).

ATTORNEY: He slapped you?

FREVOLA: He slapped me with his right hand across my face.

ATTORNEY: How did that make you feel?

FREVOLA: Humiliated and embarrassed.

Basabe's other victim was Jacob Cutbirth, an intern in Basabe's office. One evening, Basabe had had too much to drink and Cutbirth drove Basabe home. He described how Basabe propositioned him by placing his hand on Cutbirth's thigh and began making "comments on sex with men."

Cutbirth, who was engaged to a woman, said Basabe tried to kiss him that night, and he had to push him away. He said when they were in the Capitol, Basabe instructed him to flirt with him in the office – because it apparently made Basabe feel special. Cutbirth said Basabe showed him the picture of a naked man that Basabe kept on his phone and that the lawmaker kept telling him he should forget his fiancé and start having sex with men.

One of the stranger aspects of the trial was Basabe's decision to fire his attorneys and represent himself. And it did not go well. When he was confused about a point of law, you could see him scrolling through his phone, using ChatGPT to find answers.

BASABE: I'm kind of freaking out right now. Can I just have five minutes to catch my breath, go to the restroom, and wash my face?

JUDGE: Court will be in recess for ten minutes.

But even the judge had his limits, and Basabe was repeatedly admonished for bringing up issues the judge had told him were off limits.

JUDGE: If an attorney had done half of what you have done, they would have been sanctioned, sir. You don't get a pass because you chose to represent yourself. You don't get to continue to violate court rules because you didn't go to law school.

In the end, the jury took less than two hours to rule against Basabe and award the $450,000 to Frevola and Cutbirth. After the verdict was announced, the two young men and their attorneys hugged and broke down in tears.

After the verdict, Cindy Myers, who has represented the two young men from the beginning of this case, said justice was finally served.

"It's been a long and arduous road," she said, describing the last three years. "The jury believed my clients, they heard their testimony, it was under oath. Mr. Basabe had the opportunity to get on the stand and say his piece. And they believed. Mr. Frevola, Mr. Cutbirth, and Janet Frevola."

Now, when this lawsuit against Basabe was first brought, he recorded a video in which he vowed that if any of the allegations against him were proven, he would resign.

"This message is my verbal contract to you, but not just to you, but to my family, my friends, and my entire community. Should any of these allegations ever prove true against me at any point in the future, I will resign on the spot and be held accountable," he said.

Basabe, however, has not resigned, and he remains on the ballot for re-election this November.