Another delay for Carollo-related lawsuit. Miami trial date now pushed to 2027
The trial for the last remaining lawsuit accusing former Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo of using city resources to punish political opponents has been pushed to 2027, drawing out the city’s ongoing legal battle with two Little Havana businessmen for nearly a decade.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles set the trial for Jan. 25, 2027, in the case filed by Bill Fuller and Martin Pinilla against the city of Miami.
Fuller and Pinilla have alleged that Carollo mobilized a “government machine” against them and a slew of their businesses that caused a loss in the tens of millions of dollars. The pair have said Carollo retaliated against them because they supported his opponent in the 2017 election.
The city has been entangled in various legal battles with Fuller and Pinilla since 2018. The ongoing lawsuit stems from the same general allegations as the one Pinilla and Fuller won against Carollo in 2023. But unlike the previous case, the city of Miami is the sole defendant in the ongoing lawsuit.
Gayles inherited the case weeks ago from U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno, who recused himself in March because of a conflict involving the law firm that employs Moreno’s daughter. At the time of the recusal, the lawsuit had been moving full steam ahead toward trial, which was slated for spring 2026.
But with Moreno’s recusal throwing the case into limbo, the parties had their first in-person hearing before the new judge on Monday.
Gayles went through his 2026 calendar, which was packed with back-to-back trials, leaving little opportunity for the 10 to 15 days the plaintiffs’ attorney Jeff Gutchess estimated was needed. There was a pocket of time in November that appeared promising, but Angel Cortiñas, an attorney for the city, said he had a preplanned family vacation during that time.
Gayles said he’d be “happy to ask around” to find out other judges’ availability. Neither side jumped on that offer.
So with 2026 looking like a wash, Gayles set aside three weeks starting on Jan. 25.
Speaking to the Miami Herald after the hearing, Gutchess said the January trial date is less than ideal but that he appreciated the judge “bending over backwards” to accommodate it.
Asked for the city’s position on the trial being set out more than eight months, Cortiñas, said: “We’ll be ready.”
.jpg)