Former Miami Lakes mayor Michael Pizzi filed an amended complaint against the Town of Miami Lakes in exactly 20 days after a judge dismissed his original lawsuit which was seeking $2.5 million in attorneys’ fees stemming from his federal bribery corruption trial in 2014.
Last month, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Antonio Marin granted a motion to dismiss the complaint without prejudice, after determining the complaint did not prove that Pizzi was serving a public purpose in seeking the town’s reimbursement of his fees, among other issues, Judge Marin ruled.
He gave Pizzi, an attorney, 20 days to amend his lawsuit against Miami Lakes, where he served as mayor for two-terms.
Pizzi furnished a copy of the amended complaint to The Miami Laker, which was filed in the circuit court on December 20, 2016.
After a jury acquitted the former mayor of federal bribery charges in 2014, Pizzi filed two lawsuits against Miami Lakes seeking reimbursement for attorney’s fees in his federal trial and reinstatement case in which the Florida Supreme Court forced Governor Rick Scott to reinstate him.
He sued Miami Lakes in the lower courts to get his job back.
Miami Lakes settled his reinstatement lawsuit for $460,000.
For his attorneys’ fees reimbursement lawsuit, both sides agreed to abate the case for six months to give Miami Lakes a chance to fight its own litigation against its insurance carrier for refusing to cover Pizzi’s legal bills.
The abatement ended in November.
Pizzi said the complaint needed to be refiled with additional information in order for the case to proceed.
Pizzi lost his reelection bid against new mayor Manny Cid in November.
He served as mayor for Miami Lakes for eight years, and previously was a councilman for seven years.