Miami City Hall was the center of controversy on Thursday, as Miami documentarian Billy Corben brought up a lawsuit that was recently filed against the City of Miami, Miami’s city attorney, her husband, and her husband’s company.
The lawsuit was filed by Jose Alvarez and his attorneys at AXS Law, claiming that the city pressured him into selling his family's Little Havana home for well below market value, which was later sold by Express Homes Inc. for $370,000.
Express Homes is owned by the husband of Miami City Attorney Victoria Mendez.
“I wanted to keep the house in the family. But unfortunately, because the city wouldn't work with me, I wasn't able to do so,” Alvarez said.
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Attorneys representing Alvarez point to a 2018 video in which they say the code enforcement board waived the fines after the city attorney's husband took the podium.
After an agenda item pertaining to code enforcement board appointees came up during Thursday's commission meeting, Corben spoke out about the lawsuit, as it relates to board appointees.
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“Never before have these appointments been more important,” Corben said. “As you know, a lawsuit was recently filed against the city attorney and her husband for allegedly using their inside connections to the code enforcement board… The appointees, I would ask would support the board obtaining independent legal counsel to address any potential conflicts of interest. And, if necessary, refer the matter to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.”
Commissioner Joe Carollo responded to Corben's comments by claiming that Corben was being paid to speak out about the lawsuit.
“He didn't do that because he believed that he did it because he was paid by one of the opponents to do that,” Carollo said. “Mr. Corben is a pay for play individual that has been getting paid for some time to attack this city and so many of us.”
City attorney Mendez pushed back on the allegations in a lengthy statement, calling them a ploy by the law firm to get her to settle in a separate case.
“… They have tried to bully me into submission in order to not continue to do my job as the City Attorney,” the statement read in part. “I have never seen such an intentional scheme to thwart justice and prevalent corruption in city business owners in my close to 19 years in the City, as I have seen in the Madroom and Fuller v. Carollo plaintiffs. I look forward to the day when the truth will be widely reported and not the sensational lies being promulgated by the plaintiffs. I feel sorry for them illegally seeking out and taking advantage of the plaintiff in this third case against the City of Miami, my husband and me.”
AXS Law denied the allegations from Mendez.
“It has nothing to do with any other case,” said Jeff Gutchess, an attorney at AXS Law. “There's no retaliation here. This is just trying to bring to light what is happening in the city so the public can see.”
NBC 6 spoke to Corben by phone about Carollo’s comments. He responded by calling what the commissioner said "a bold-faced lie."
