Trials

Randy Parraz Lawsuit Vs. Maricopa County Over '08 Arrest Can Proceed, Judge Rules

A lawsuit filed by activist Randy Parraz against Maricopa County following his 2008 arrest outside the Board of Supervisors Auditorium can move ahead, a federal judge ruled yesterday. Parraz was arrested on September 29, 2008, after he and members of his group, Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Acco ... More >>

Joe Arpaio and MCSO Officially Sued by the Justice Department for Racial Discrimination

After a few rounds of threats, the Justice Department announced finally its lawsuit against the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Joe Arpaio this morning.The lawsuit addresses that "culture of bias" the Justice Department's been alleging since it released its findings in December, claimin ... More >>

Thomas James Odom, 17, Found Guilty of Murdering his 15-Year-Old Girlfriend

Image: Facebook Thomas Odom​After a 10-day trial, Thomas Odom was found guilty of killing his 15-year-old girlfriend in April of last year.   Known as Will Longobardi in his former life as a teenager living just outside of Schenectady, New York, Odom -- once a resident of El Mirage -- ... More >>

Mistrial Declared in Case of Phoenix Man Who Killed Neighbor in "Neighborhood Dispute"

The judge in Gary Kelly's murder trial declared a mistrial after jurors were unable to reach a verdict.​The jurors in the murder trial of Gary Thomas Kelly, the Phoenix man who killed his Hispanic neighbor after apparently getting drunk and spouting off some racial slurs, couldn't reach a verdict, ... More >>

Lawsuit to Taco Bell: (DONG!) What? It's Not All Beef?!

​Last week, a California woman brought a false-advertising lawsuit against Taco Bell claiming that their products contain very little meat. And for those of us who have eaten their Cantina Tacos, this should resonate like the sun exploding. The class-action suit, which does not ask for money ... More >>

Gilbert Man Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter and Child Abuse in Death of 13-Month-Old Girl

David Reed​A Gilbert man, initially charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 13-month-old girl, pleaded guilty to lesser charges in a Maricopa County Superior Court this morning.David Arnold Reed III, 23, copped to manslaughter and child abuse in the 2009 beating death of Cheree Goard, ... More >>

Lisa Aubuchon Drove Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas' Political Prosecutions -- Now the Feds May Have Them Both In Their Crosshairs

Yelp Lawsuit Widens: From Washington to Chicago to L.A., Plaintiffs Charge Extortion

​Nine companies have joined the proposed class action lawsuit against Yelp, the San Francisco-based Internet giant, attorneys in Miami and California announced this morning. The new plaintiffs are located everywhere from Tujunga, California to Washington, D.C. They include businesses ranging from ... More >>

Baby Gabriel Mom Pleads Not Guilty in Disappearance; Are Murder Charges on the Horizon?

Eight-month old Gabriel Johnson was last seen alive in San Antonio, Texas​Elizabeth Johnson, the mother of the missing eight-month old baby, Gabriel Johnson, appeared before a Maricopa County Superior Court judge this morning, via-video feed from the Maricopa County Jail and pleaded not gui ... More >>

Racketeering Lawsuit by Thomas and Arpaio has "Fatal Defects," Say Lawyers Asking for Dismissal

The federal racketeering lawsuit filed last week by Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Sheriff Joe Arpaio has "fatal defects" and should be dismissed, argue high-profile lawyers named in the suit. ​ The evidence-light racketeering lawsuit claims the Board of Supervisors, top judge ... More >>

Bryant Wilkerson Faces Prison for a Fatal Accident. But if a Drunk Driver Hits You, Is It Your Fault?

The Gang's All Fear

The Crips who raped a retarded girl sprang from a 'hood where too many kids aspire to the thug life

That Would Be You, Mr. Chief Justice

Zlaket casts misguided stones in controversial rape case

Death of a Shopkeeper

Friends say controversial police sting contributed to store owner's demise

Flashes

Shakedown in Show Low

Allegations of fraud swirl around a White Mountain RV resort, and the Baptist Foundation of Arizona is right in the middle of it

Custody Battle

Hundreds of inmates in state prisons need special protection from gang paybacks. When officials tried to mix them in with the general-prison population, they filed suit--and won.

Government by Litigation

Increasingly, public officials ignore laws they're paid to uphold. Citizens and interest groups regularly drag these same bureaucrats into court, trying to ensure that the laws of the land are enforced. But now even the courts, once bastions of authority,

Trial and Heir

In the trial of the decade, Butch Harrod is found guilty of the 1988 murder of wealthy Phoenix widow Jeanne Tovrea

Indecent Exposure

They spent months covered in the dust and dirt of a prison renovation. Now, dozens of officers and inmates say the state risked their lives by making them work with asbestos.

Jafet Coronado's Good Samaritan

The nursing assistant was fired for sexual misconduct. But when he was charged with crimes, Samaritan Health System decided he deserved the best defense money could buy.

Fife's History

It took years, and some luck, to unravel Symington's web of deceit

Juror Excused

Odd development in Symington trial

Denouement or Vindication?

Jurors in Symington's 12-week criminal trial hear closing arguments, begin deliberations

David v. the System

Attorney casts himself as martyr in bizarre courtroom melodrama

Barrister Behind Bars

Former "King of Probate" faces long prison term for ripping off elderly

Fife's Last Stand?

Some observers believe governor must testify to save his own skin

Sugar Mommy

Martha Symington's lawyer tells jury of governor's profligacy

Nice Land

Icelandic judge stays extradition, saying Arpaio's jails violate standards of humane treatment

Is Motorola Harboring Diversity or Disrespect?

The state's largest private employer pours money into African-American causes--but critics charge its bosses don't walk the talk

Fugitives From Terror

Arpaio's barbaric jails cited as reason to halt extradition from Iceland

Porn Free

Why tough-talking county prosecutors freed a man facing 48 years in prison on a kiddie porn conviction

Official Secrecy Acts

Fighting a legal war on multiple fronts, Symington and his attorneys turn to a time-honored tactic: stonewalling

The Shape of Things to Con

Snell Johnson is a well-known sculptor. Some investors know him best as a con artist.

Lives Overturned

After an eight-year struggle, Darlene Span succeeds where Alan Dershowitz failed

Class Reaction

Legal aid to farmworkers and Indians slashed as Congress seeks end to mass lawsuits

Mental Health MASQUERADE

Litigation over care fo rArizona's mentally ill ended four years ago. Sowhy have private attorneys racked up more than $1 million in fees since then?

A STUDY IN INDIFFERENCEAFTER EIGHT YEARS, THE STATE STILL HASN'T FINISHED A PROMISED INVESTIGATION INTO THE MARYVALE "CANCER CLUSTER"

NO NEW TRIALJUDGE REJECTS KILLER'S ATTEMPT TO UNDO QUESTIONABLE LEGAL ADVICE GIVEN IN 1982

JUDICIAL INDESCRETIONSCONSERVATIVES PROPOSING NEW LAWS TO STEM FLOOD OF LAWSUITS BY INMATES

ODOR IN THE COURT

IT TOOK COURAGE FOR THE DEAF GIRL TO ALLEGE RAPE. SHE WAS REWARDED WITH AN UNPREPARED PROSECUTOR WHO BUNGLED THE CASE.

TORT ABORT

COURT OF NO RESORT

BARBARA ROSS SAYS A JUDGE AND HER FORMER HUSBAND--ATTORNEY GENERAL GRANT WOODS--TRANPLED HER CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS IN A CHILD CUSTODY CASE

THE SILICONE SISTERS ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVESENRAGED AND EMPOWERED, WOMEN HAVE ENLISTED COMUTER BULETIN BOARDS IN THEIR WAR AGAINST BREAST-IMPLANT MANUFACTURERS

THE PLUMBER'S LAWYER ACQUITTED HIM WELL

BEATING A WIFE-BEATER

AFTER THE COURT FOUND HER HUSBAND INNOCENT OF ATTACKING HER, SHE SUED HIM-AND WON

WHAT'S A LITTLE FRAUD BETWEEN FRIENDS?THE LEGISLATURE IS HELL-BENT ON GUTTING ARIZONA'S STIFF SECURITIES STATUES

WHISTLE-BLOWERS' CHARGE: RTC TOOK A DIVE

THE LITTLE LAWSUIT THAT COULD

HEY, JUDGE, PUT THAT BLINDFOLD BACK ON!

The Mix Rape Trial: Justice Screwed