Civil trial begins for Miami Beach lawmaker accused of sexual harassment and battery

A civil trial against Florida Representative Fabian Basabe (R-Miami Beach) opened Monday in Tallahassee, with three plaintiffs — a former legislative aide, an intern, and the aide’s mother — alleging sexual harassment, battery, and defamation. Attorneys for the plaintiffs described two separate physical incidents involving the aide and recounted inappropriate comments the intern says Basabe made about sex and marriage. Basabe, who is running for reelection and denies the allegations, is representing himself in the proceeding.

Sources: WCJB TV20

Florida’s aging death row: Two inmates over 80 scheduled for execution this month

Florida is preparing to execute two death row inmates older than 80, following the recent execution of a 74-year-old — the oldest the state has put to death in modern times. One of the men scheduled to die in July, convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents in 1986, would be only the second known octogenarian executed in the United States. The cases have renewed debate about whether capital punishment applied to elderly inmates who may soon die of natural causes is humane, and whether lengthy appeals processes delay justice or protect constitutional rights.

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Sources: WCJB TV20