Maricopa County and Jennifer Braillard, daughter of Deborah Braillard who died in Sheriff Arpaio's jails seven years ago because she went into diabetic shock and was denied treatment, settled today for $3.25 million.
Taxpayers will to have to fork over $3.25 million after attorneys for Arpaio, MCSO and the county chose to settle another jail death lawsuit... taxpayers will be on the hook for... another $2 million on legal fees ((the county spent)) fighting the lawsuit for the last seven years.
The details are shocking. Not just the denial of medical treatment
Two jail guards... testified they failed to get proper medical care for Deborah
but the coverup
During the trial there was testimony from numerous witnesses indicating that key evidence in the case was missing or destroyed.
Former Maricopa County Jail Medical Director Dr. Todd Wilcox, a highly respected jail medical administrator, testified that he saw with his own eyes that evidence was destroyed. He testified that on one occasion he came back to his office after getting a sandwich and somebody was remotely manipulating his computer to enter and delete files....
A videotape of Deborah going through the intake screening is also mysteriously missing...
Jennifer Braillard said her mother wore a bracelet that identified her as a diabetic but when her personal property was returned to the family after she died the bracelet was missing...
a judge ruled that the jury would be instructed about four key pieces of evidence that were missing or destroyed.
and, not surprisingly, Arpaio's total lack of concern.
Manning has cited numerous reports commissioned and paid for by the county dating back as far as 1996 detailing a "culture of cruelty" where inmates are routinely denied humane healthcare at Maricopa County Jails.
Study after study found the jails are dangerous understaffed.
The studies document unconstitutional conditions and a deliberate indifference to detainee’s medical needs.
Under questioning from Michael Manning, Sheriff Joe Arpaio admitted on the stand under oath that he couldn't deny making the statement that even if he had a billion dollars he wouldn’t change the way he runs his jails.
There's actually a chance Arpaio won't be re-elected, but the odds are still in his favor. Unless, perchance, this latest settlement is enough to make
another three percent or so of Maricopa County voters sufficiently sick of him that they'll switch their votes.
Republican Sheriff Joe Arpaio still leads, but his Democratic rival, Paul Penzone, is within striking distance.
The numbers show Arpaio with 46.8 percent and Penzone at 42.1 percent. In addition, 7.7 percent of voters were undecided while 3.4 percent backed Mike Stauffer, the former Republican turned Independent candidate.
A previous poll had Penzone behind by 6%, while this one has him gaining a point, still behind by almost 5%. The worst of it is that an independent candidate, Mike Stauffer, is getting 3.4% in the polling, tantalizingly close to being able to oust Arpaio if the votes could somehow be combined.
For the sake of future Deborah Braillards, let's hope for some enlightenment on the part of a few percent of Maricopa County's electorate, and then some serious reforms within the jails themselves.