Judge dismisses lawsuit against Worrell’s suspension

A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by two voters and the group Florida Rising Together challenging Governor Ron DeSantis’ suspension of Orlando District Attorney Monique Worrell.

U.S. District Judge Julie Sneed issued a 15-page ruling finding that plaintiffs David Caicedo and Rajib Chowdhury, as well as Florida Rising Together, lacked standing to pursue the lawsuit.

“Upon review, the Court finds that plaintiffs could not allege a violation of a legally protected interest when defendant (DeSantis) removed Ms. Worrell from office under the Florida Constitution,” Sneed wrote. “Instead, plaintiffs’ harm appears to be largely attributable to the harm Ms. Worrell herself suffered when she was removed for allegedly partisan reasons before the expiration of her term.”

Attorneys with the Southern Poverty Law Center filed the lawsuit on Nov. 30 on behalf of Caicedo, Chowdhury and Florida Rising Together, claiming the suspension violated due process and First Amendment rights and demanding Worrell be reinstated as prosecutor.

“Governor DeSantis’ intentional nullification of the election results undermined the fundamental fairness and integrity of the electoral process,” the lawsuit says. “The nature of the harm in this case is egregious. … Governor DeSantis’ actions have deprived nearly 400,000 people of their fundamental right to vote and threaten the integrity of the state’s democratic system.”

Sneed dismissed the lawsuit but said the plaintiffs could file an amended complaint within 30 days.

DeSantis appointed Andrew Bain, a former Orange County judge, to succeed Worrell as district attorney. Worrell is running for re-election in November.

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