"What happened: I blame myself. I fell."
That's what Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said from his hospital bed last year in an official video he posted about breaking his arm.
As usual, the six-term politician (who vowed back in the 1990s to only serve one term) wasn't exactly telling the truth.
Arpaio filed a slip-and-fall lawsuit last week in county Superior Court against the owners of the 2 Renaissance building at 40 North Central Avenue in downtown Phoenix, blaming his fall on "an unreasonably dangerous and improperly maintained walkway."
See also: -Joe Arpaio, Self-Proclaimed Tough Guy, Still Hospitalized With Broken Arm After 24 Hours
With the help of ex-County Attorney Andrew Thomas' attorney friend, Mark Goldman, the sheriff's alleging one civil count of negligence and is suing for damages including medical expenses.
Arpaio had been walking to get a bowl of soup for lunch on February 28, 2013 when he tripped and fell, breaking his arm in two places. Despite speculation that the then-80-year-old might suffer from complications, Arpaio was back at work after a couple of weeks.
"Breaks in the walkway's surface" that were not maintained properly by the building's owners, Hines GS Properties, led to "dangerous conditions" that resulted in "permanent injuries" to the sheriff, the lawsuit states.
Arpaio seeks "compensatory, general and special damages" in addition to having his medical bills covered.
No use blaming himself when there's money to be made.
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