The lawsuit filed against the city of Miami and several officials related to the case of former Governor Joe Carollo was dismissed this week by federal judge Federico Moreno.
The case caused a great scandal from the beginning, as it represented a serious accusation against the commissioner, who was accused of corruption and abuse of power.
Bill Fuller and Martín Pinilla were the two Little Havana businessmen who sued the city and Joe Carollo himself, charging that the commissioner had intimidated them, threatening to use the police to destroy their business.
Supposedly, everything would have been in retaliation for the businessmen for having supported one of Carollo’s political competitors.
Due to these accusations, Carollo lost a civil trial and was sentenced to pay $63.5 million for having used city resources for his threats.
Demand underestimated by Joe Carollo case
The lawsuit dismissed by the magistrate focused on accusations of rights violations, allegedly perpetrated by city officials under Carollo’s orders, Telemundo 51 reported.
According to Judge Moreno, the document consisted of 671 numbered paragraphs that seemed intended more for the media than for disposal in a court of law.
And this is not the first time that plaintiffs have faced an adverse decision; In fact, it is the second time the court has dismissed the same lawsuit in its entirety.
The magistrate ruled that each plaintiff must file separate charges against each of the defendants, specifying which civil right was violated and detailing the actions of each of the defendants, different from the first generalized lawsuit.
In response, Carollo appeared confident, calling the decision a great victory for him and the residents of the city of Miami. However, Fuller, Pinilla and his attorney, Jeff Gutchess, were not discouraged.
The businessmen’s defense stated that Judge Moreno’s order simply asks them to provide additional information in a different format, which they will do as soon as possible.
As of now, the plaintiffs have until April 19 to refile the lawsuit, thus giving them an opportunity to correct the deficiencies pointed out by the court.
For now, Carollo managed to suspend the auction of his residence to pay the multimillion-dollar fine to which he was sentenced. The former mayor of Miami has begun a defense of his home, which is located in Coconut Grove, arguing that he has property rights over it.
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