Migrants flown to Vineyard by DeSantis can sue charter company, judge rules

Nearly two years after a group of Venezuelan migrants was flown to Martha’s Vineyard by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a federal judge in Boston has ruled the migrants can sue the charter company that flew them there.

The case involves about 50 Venezuelans sent to Martha’s Vineyard from San Antonio, Texas, with false promises of work and housing. The judge ruled the plaintiffs can proceed against Florida-based Vertol Systems Co. for agreeing to fly them to Massachusetts for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The plaintiffs also are suing DeSantis as the mastermind of what they call a “political stunt” aimed at boosting his profile. DeSantis ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for president before dropping out in January. Also named in the suit are several top officials in Florida, and a Florida woman who allegedly served as the recruiter of the Venezuelans.

But the court said it does not have jurisdiction over the governor in this case or any of the named individuals, who argued the allegations stemmed from acts that took place in Florida and Texas, not Massachusetts.

Iván Espinoza-Madrigal — head of the nonprofit Lawyers for Civil Rights, which filed the federal class action suit on behalf of the migrants — said the group still aims to pursue DeSantis and the others by meeting the threshold to establish jurisdiction.

“The defendants are not off the hook,” Espinoza-Madrigal said. “We will have to take a closer look at the facts … and then at that point, reassert the claims against DeSantis and the other defendants.”

Court records show Florida transportation officials paid Vertol some $1.5 million for the Vineyard flights and “future flights with similar missions.” The court found that the company could be held liable because its planes landed in Massachusetts with at least one company employee on board.

Vertol did not respond to requests for comment.