The Mayoral Lawsuit
Mayor Vince Lago Files a Lawsuit Against a Radio Station He Says Defamed Him
Defamation laws in the United States pre-date the American Revolution, regulating slander and libel and establishing the precedent that “the truth” is an absolute defense against charges of libel. The 1964 case New York Times Co. v. Sullivan clarified matters involving public officials even further, establishing that officials must prove that the media outlet in question knew that the libelous information was “wholly and patently false” or that it was published “with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not.”
This is now the grounds of Mayor Vince Lago’s lawsuit against Actualidad Media Group, a Spanish-language radio station that, back in February 2023, hosted then-Gables Insider publisher and City Commission candidate Ariel Fernandez on one of its shows. The 36-page lawsuit filed on Dec. 22, 2023, cites an on-air segment between Fernandez and show host Roberto Rodriguez Tejera in which both claimed that Lago was being investigated by the Miami-Dade County Ethics Commission for ties Lago allegedly had to Little Gables — an unincorporated area that Coral Gables has attempted to annex several times.
Fernandez and Rodriguez Tejera claimed that Lago’s brother, Carlos Lago, had business interests in Little Gables — and even owned property there — meaning the mayor should not have been allowed to vote on matters regarding its annexation. The truth is a little more complicated. Carlos Lago was indeed registered as a lobbyist for Titan Development, a real estate company that owns the Gables Trailer Park in Little Gables. However, though his lobbyist registration was not withdrawn until March 6, 2023, it had been over 10 years since he did any work for the company.
The Ethics Commission did respond to an anonymous complaint that Lago had lied about his brother’s business interests, but ultimately determined that Lago “did not knowingly make a false statement” and the matter should be closed. There was no formal investigation, according to the Ethics Commissions’ Executive Director Jose Arrojo.
“When Ariel’s talking, he overextends himself,” Lago said, referencing a video of the incident. “The [producer] starts slashing his throat like, ‘Drop him! Cut him, cut him, cut him!’ because he realizes they’re going too far.” Lago’s suit further claims that “as a direct and proximate result of… the defamatory statements, Lago has suffered damages” including “deterioration to [his] personal and business reputation… humiliation, embarrassment, and ridicule….”
In an interview with Coral Gables Magazine, Lago further claimed that the interview was “the starting-off point” for several entities to “start their efforts to derail annexation,” including the county’s firefighter’s union. He claims the union’s president, William “Billy” McAllister, told Lago that he would obstruct the city’s efforts to annex Little Gables unless Lago and his colleagues allowed Miami-Dade County to absorb the Coral Gables Fire Department. “If you do not, we will destroy your reputation,” McAllister allegedly threatened.
Fernandez and Rodriguez Tejera, meanwhile, dismiss any wrongdoing, with the latter referring to the lawsuit as “posturing” and saying that he looks forward to the “opportunity to have a politician under oath” in an interview with the Miami Herald. Lago says that when he requested documentation supporting the claims by Fernandez and Rodriguez Tejera, he was sent documents dated after the radio show aired. Lago is ultimately seeking at least $50,000 in damages and as much as $5 million.