SUNNY ISLES BEACH, Fla. – A state representative from South Florida is being sued for sexual harassment.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday by a former aide and a former intern against Republican State Rep. Fabian Basabe.
The suit goes into detail about how the lawmaker allegedly crossed the line several times with the two male staffers.
Basabe didn’t say a word as he arrived late to a town hall in Sunny Isles Beach on Thursday night.
As he began his spiel, he made no mention about the elephant in the room, that Basabe had been hit with a lawsuit alleging unwanted sexual touching and advances against the two men.
Among the alarming allegations in the complaint obtained by Local 10 News, his now former intern accuses Basabe of groping him and trying to kiss him, and one time telling him he shouldn’t marry his fiancé and instead he should explore his sexuality by having sex with men.
“I am here for the residents today,” Basabe said when asked for comment by Local 10 News’ Christian De La Rosa. “You can all make an appointment with my office.”
A staffer is also claiming he was with Basabe at North Beach Elementary’s career day, where in a classroom full of children, he allegedly told him, “I want all of that butt.”
Democratic State Senator Jason Pizzo was also at the town hall.
“I’m a former prosecutor, so I believe in innocence until a jury of your peers says anything,” Pizzo said. “But again, I’m going to tell you, it’s insulting to us, to his colleagues, that we are in this situation even to have to answer for it.”
There are also questions being raised about how the state legislature handled one of the allegations in the lawsuit, in which a staffer claims Basabe slapped him in the face.
Basabe has denied that allegation as well.