Arizona Republic: “Five former and present Superior Court judges and Maricopa County officials are suing the county, claiming Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew Thomas targeted them in criminal investigations and lawsuits without merit to retaliate for court rulings and budget cuts.”
Arizona Republic reviews the budget-busting feuding between former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Sheriff Joe Arpaio on one side and Maricopa County judges, supervisors and other officials on the other side. To date, notices of claims for damages exceeding $56 million have been filed with Maricopa County by people who claim that action taken by county officials has caused them to be harmed. As of June 15, 2010, Maricopa County has wasted over $3.2 million for legal feed, audits and searching county offices for bugs (listening devices).
Arizona Republic: “Deputy Maricopa County Attorney Lisa Aubuchon and her husband have filed a $10 million notice of claim against a slew of county officials, claiming the officials coordinated to smear her reputation and destroy her career.” Players in the Maricopa County infighting circus have now filed notices of claims in excess of $56 million.
ABA Journal: “The Maricopa County, Ariz., Board of Supervisors is expected Wednesday to approve the hiring of uber-arbitrator Kenneth Feinberg to handle claims brought against the local government by high-level county managers, elected officials, judges and other employees who say they suffered harassment and abuse of power by the sheriff and former county prosecutor.”
“The problem in Maricopa County is perhaps unprecedented in the nation’s history: So many leaders and workers in all three branches of county government say they were harassed and harmed by a sheriff-prosecutor team investigating, suing and criminally charging them in alleged political vendettas that no one is left who would be qualified to handle the claims against their own government. Anyone who ordinarily would decide the claims—judicially, administratively or by legislative action—might have one himself.”
Arizona Republic: “Maricopa County taxpayers paid about $71 million over the last five years to resolve claims lodged against county agencies and employees, and the county manager expects costs to mount as further complaints related to years-long legal battles and investigations among county officials continue.” The article lists 10 claims that exceeded $1 million. See “Maricopa County claims and payouts.”