Sheriff Wins 7th Straight Jury Verdict

Arpaio says he wins jury cases, and discourages the county from entering into out-of-court settlements.

Another jury has sided with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. For the seventh time in a row, a jury has ruled against someone who sued the sheriff for treatment in the jail.

In the latest case, jurors rejected a $6 million claim by a former inmate, Thomas Stewart, who accused detention officers of using excessive force against him, resulting in permanent injuries. Arpaio says it took the jury only one hour to return its verdict following a several-day trial.

According to Arpaio, when his office goes to court to fight such suits, it wins. He's concerned about the suits that are settled out of court, in agreements between the County Board of Supervisors and their insurance carrier, which often sees a six- or seven-figure settlement as preferable to a possible jury verdict that could be much higher.

The sheriff also wants to correct what he says is a misperception that lawsuits against his office are numerous and expensive. He says in the past five years, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. has paid out approx. $300 million for wrongful-action claims. By comparison, Arpaio's department has paid out only about $40 million in the entire 16 years he's been sheriff, an average of only about $2.5 million per year.