A Florida Bar complaint alleging defamation was filed Thursday against a Miami Beach City Commission candidate who had long-celebrated her father — a serial killer who inspired ‘Dexter’ executed by the state in 2012 — on social media.
The complaint by South Florida filmmaker Billy Corben alleges that Monique Pardo Pope, an attorney and commission hopeful, defamed him to the Miami New Times by falsely claiming — somewhat ironically — that Corben had previously lost a defamation case.
Pardo Pope is preparing for a run-off election for the seat on Dec. 9.
Her comment came after the Times asked her about a discovery Corben had made:
Pardo Pope’s father was a pro-Nazi, anti-Black serial killer executed in 2012 for murdering nine people in South Florida. Years after his execution, Pardo Pope called Manuel Pardo her “guiding light” on social media, promising Floridians that she planned to bring the “kind of leadership” she learned from her family to City Hall.
“Ms. Pardo Pope is certainly free to view her father as an angelic, heroic figure and she unquestionably has the right to criticize my reporting; however, she is not entitled to defame me, nor should she be allowed to ignore her professional obligations as a member of the Bar,” Corben wrote in his five-page complaint, rife with Eminem quotes and sardonic hits at the Bar for not disciplining other embattled attorneys.
“Moreover, as my reporting rightfully notes, if Ms. Pardo Pope intends to use her family history as the slightest basis for her candidacy, she should be candid with voters about the sins of her serial killer father and explain how she reconciles that history with her glowing statements about him,” he added.
Later, talking to the Phoenix, Corben stressed that his complaint is “not about the sins of the father, but about the lies of the daughter.”
What happened?On Sep. 25, Corben, an avid critic of local Miami politics and founder of the BecauseMiami podcast, first reported that the Miami Beach candidate was related to Manuel Pardo, a fired Sweetwater police officer who dealt cocaine and systematically murdered both drug dealers and bystanders alike in the 1980s.
Pardo Pope was 4 years old when the crimes occurred.
When searching the Pardos’ Hialeah apartment, Corben said officers found a family dog named “Satan,” tattooed with a Swastika, Polaroid photos of Pardo’s victims, and a slew of anti-Black and anti-Jewish memorabilia. Pardo was executed via lethal injection after then-Gov. Rick Scott signed his death warrant in 2012.
Years after his execution, Pardo Pope offered adulation of her father on social media. He was her “guardian angel,” she wrote.
“Happiest of Birthdays to this little girl’s first true love — her Daddy. You would’ve been 59 years young today. Missing you each and everyday, mi papi bello….my guiding light in the sky, my eternal best friend,” she wrote, including a photo of him holding her as a baby.
She signed it off with his final words on the execution table, “Airborne forever, love your Michi girl.”
The Miami New Times quickly picked up Corben’s reporting, reaching out to Pardo Pope for comment (she did not immediately respond to the Phoenix’s request for comment). She told them that “Billy Corben has made a career of slinging mud, which has even resulted in losing a defamation case.”
Corben had not lost the defamation case. The case against his movie-making firm was dismissed, and Corben’s company instead filed an anti-SLAPP suit and was awarded more $180k. The law disfavors lawsuits found to infringe participation in public affairs.
Pardo Pope Bar ComplaintUpdate: this story now includes a copy of Corben’s Bar complaint against Pardo Pope. It also no longer states that Corben is a Democrat—he resigned the party last year.
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