Sheriff Joe Arpaio Loses Appeals Court Ruling Allowing False Arrest Lawsuit

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/29/sheriff-joe-arpaio-lawsuit_n_1841181.html

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio might want to get ready to spend more time in court defending himself.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that two news executives for the Phoenix New Times can sue the Maricopa County sheriff's office for their 2007 arrests.

The men, newspaper co-owners Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin, were arrested at their homes in the middle of the night after their publication reported the sheriff's office planned to use a subpoena to figure out who was talking to journalists about Arpaio. Arpaio's allies drafted subpoenas that "demanded that the paper reveal its confidential sources as well as produce reporters’ and editors' notebooks, memoranda, and documents" related to stories about Arpaio, according to the court ruling. The New Times refused, leading to misdemeanor charges against Lacey and Larkin of disclosing grand jury inner workings. The charges were dropped the next day.

The two executives attempted to sue Arpaio for $15 million in 2008, alleging that the sheriff's office falsely arrested them, violated their right to due process and targeted them for selective prosecution. A lower court dismissed that lawsuit, a ruling overturned by the federal appeals court.