Maricopa County hires out-of-state legal help in racial discrimination lawsuit

As stated in a previous blog post, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been accused of unjust racial discrimination against the Latino community in the region. Arpaio was charged with disregarding the constitutional rights of Latino prisoners and plaintiffs claim that the sheriff sent minorities to prison for unfounded reasons. Along with sheriff departments and counties, companies in Phoenix that wish to defend their managers from accusations of racial discrimination may need to speak to a business attorney.

This week, the  Maricopa County Board of Supervisors concluded that outside counsel may help best defend the region in the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit claiming Arpaio took part in racial profiling, according to the Arizona Republic.

The vote for hiring out-of-state was finalized at three to two with supervisors Don Stapley and Mary Wilcox voting against the decision due to their inclination to save taxpayers' money. Supervisors Fulton Brock, Max Wilson and Andy Kunasek voted in favor of hiring outside counsel. The supervisors had deliberated for two days in closed meetings before coming to this final decision.

The lawyers Richard Walker and Dan Webb will be defending Maricopa County in this lawsuit. These lawyers were recommended by County Attorney Bill Montgomery who commends their expertise in high-profile, multi-faceted lawsuits dealing with the federal government.

"The supervisors and Montgomery noted several times that the county's role in the lawsuit is solely to defend itself and the duties and responsibilities of county government, not to seek mutual defense with Arpaio or his agency, the other two defendants," the news source stated.

Along with cities and towns, SMBs that wish to defend themselves from being implicated in a racial profiling lawsuit may need to seek the help of an attorney for business.

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