Worst. DA. Ever.
Andrew Thomas was very competitive in Radley Balko's Worst Prosecutor of the Year voting. But if he had just waited a few days, this news could have easily put Thomas over the top:
The same people responsible for tens of millions in claims being filed against Maricopa County are now drooling after their own pot of gold.
Former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and David Hendershott, Sheriff Joe Arpaio's former right-hand man have filed a notice of claim along with Thomas' former lackey, Lisa Aubuchon, for a combined total of $60 million.
Aubuchon had already filed a $10 million claim; she's revised that to $22.5 million. Andrew Thomas, who quit the job voters gave him and failed in his bid to become state Attorney General, has the gall to seek $23.5 million from taxpayers. And Hendershott, the infamous Chief Deputy now under investigation following a co-worker's allegations of corruption and abuse of power, wants $14 million.
For the first time in my life, I voted in a partisan primary for the Coke/Pepsi parties this year specifically to vote against Thomas. I cannot even imagine why they think they deserve this kind of payoff. If anyone should be suing, it is the citizens of Maricopa County who should be suing these three. Lots of articles about him on my site, but this one in the ABA Journal covers a lot of the ground.
Don Lloyd:
Are they willing to give the deciding judge half?
Regards, Don
January 25, 2011, 7:17 ammahtso:
There has been dysfunction in the county management for years. As the blogger notes, Mr. Thomas was a part of that dysfunction. But, the Board of Supervisors was also a part of it.
Members of the Board have already brought their own lawsuits against the county. News accounts show that there is a conflict of interest in how the county intends to resolve the Supervisors’ lawsuits.
As I understand it, the county has hired a mediator to settle the supervisors’ claims. This, I think, accounts in part for Mr. Thomas’s notice of claim: it gives him leverage in a flawed process (the mediations) and it probably allows him to develop evidence for use in his own defense (in the pending bar complaint against him).
January 25, 2011, 8:16 amBryan:
I haven't paid much attention to Warren's previous gripes about his sherif and county attourney. The linked ABA article provides an eye opening summary of the problems that those two individuals have caused. If you haven't clicked through and read the link, do so.
January 25, 2011, 12:34 pmgadfly:
Somehow I cannot bring myself to ranking Andrew Thomas ahead of Mike Nifong in the competition for Worst DA.
January 25, 2011, 2:53 pmfoxlets14:
I'd take anything coming from the ABA with a grain of salt. I terminated my membership many years ago because of its blatant partisanship and bias.
January 26, 2011, 8:49 amchuck martel:
Another example of the nomiocracy taking the rest of the population to the cleaners. Right or wrong really doesn't figure, attorneys are making big bucks.
January 26, 2011, 10:11 am