by Yvonne Wingett - 27 October 2010 12 H.
The Arizona Republic
Maricopa County taxpayers have spent over $ 1 million dollars in the last three years to defend the lawyers against complaints about their ethical conduct, shows an analysis of the financial records of the Office of Attorney of the County Arizona Republic.
Most of the expenditure is linked to the complaints filed by the defendants or their lawyers against prosecutors counties daily.
But the costs are soared lately as County took charges for defending counsel against ethics complaints from controversial inquiries and criminal charges former county attorney Andrew Thomas and Sheriff Joe Arpaio filed against supervisors counties, judges and other officials.
Acting County Attorney Rick Romley said that invites likely cost monitoring enhanced billing involving complaints with the State Bar of Arizona, who conceded lawyers and monitors their conduct.
"Many of them are of extraordinary claims, and we are dealing with an unusual situation," said Romley."But the costs were exorbitants.Et they significantly affected my budget."When you start changing cost more at the bar of the complaints, it affects the ability to keep individuals and how make you the affaires.Vous not be able to hire an expert witness in a case.These costs cannot continue. ?
County Prosecutor's Office has hired outside counsel to represent employees on approximately 30 complaints since fiscal year 2008.Many of these complaints were filed against Thomas and totalled at least $538,000, according to data from the County Department of finance.
The County is in charge of defending counsel because the allegations took place while they were working for or on behalf, of comté.Dans instances, bills continue to mount, with the tab associated with the County of long years feud that has less than 5.6 million.
About a quarter of $ 1 million comes from an ethics investigation former Assistant County Prosecutor Lisa Aubuchon, was Thomas' lead attorney in many cases what is called corruption against comté.Le County officials paid $263,000 in its defence, "far beyond all costs" in the past, the Bureau has paid to defend a prosecutor against a complaint bar, said Carol McFadden, the executive chef for Romley.
"It is too - we have never had this happen before", said McFadden. "The Office has always taken a position that we pay for bar complaints for solicitors where someone has filed a complaint to the exercise of their average fonctions.La (defence) cost $35,000.?
Aubuchon in part because the frais.Romley fired Romley defence team refuses to pay an invoice $64,682.50 for approximately 342 hours worked by five lawyers and a paralegal August and September for $96,141 Bill that includes $25,875 for expenses to experts.
Aubuchon, told the Republic may file a notice of claim - a precursor to an action for justice - to the cuisson.Elle already filed a notice of 10 million claim against County officials stating that they coordinated to spread its reputation and destroy its carrière.Romley said that he fired Aubuchon on his behaviour related to corruption cases.
Mark Goldman, lawyer who represented Aubuchon, defended the costs to represent them, taking into account of the "scope and extent of the investigation" it pointed out that a lawyer hired and paid by Romley to examine invoices approved Aubuchon defence each invoice until recently without problems.
"Compare Aubuchon bar investigation (of which there are several) to any investigation of a Maricopa County Attorney in the past is to compare an atomic bomb to a weapon of cap," Goldman wrote a long statement.
In a letter to counsel Tuesday, Aubuchon requested that Goldman, Wilenchik & Bartness p.c., be reinstated his lawyer Office.
"Because of the complexity and nature without previous screening survey, it is impossible that another law firm can get up to speed enough quickly to properly defend me," Aubuchon wrote a legal Ethicist and counsel appointed by Romley to manage conflict.
County officials, meanwhile, said that aubuchon can be held responsible for costs if it is established that it had acted contrary to ethics or criminally.
Journalist Matt Dempsey has contributed to this article.
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