Maricopa County to Sue Ogletree re Legal Services Provided to Sheriff Joe Arpaio & Others
In what could be one of the final chapters of a long-running power struggle between Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former in-house legal counsel of Maricopa County, Ariz., and its governing body and judges, the county board of supervisors voted today to sue a private law firm that represented the sheriff’s contingent.
The board will ask a county judge to force Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart to hand over details of their legal billings, to help Maricopa County conduct an audit of the work performed, reports the Arizona Republic.
Eric Dowell of Ogletree told the newspaper yesterday that his firm did nothing wrong and said the billing details privileged information about legal research and strategy.
Ogletree reportedly may also have threatened to sue for defamation over claims that it has billed the county improperly.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Report Says Ex-Maricopa Co. Attorney and Aide Should Be Disbarred, Alleges Conspiracy Against Judge”
