The Arizona Supreme Court made a ruling concerning a civil suit involving Maricopa County, which stemmed from an incident involving sheriff’s deputies.

In a unanimous decision announced on Monday, the court stated that the county government cannot be held responsible for negligent actions taken by sheriff’s deputies while performing their law enforcement duties.

The case in question originated from an incident in 2021 where a deputy was involved in a mishap while driving a county-owned vehicle. The plaintiffs contended that the county should be held “specially liable” for the deputies’ conduct; however, the court sided with the county’s position.

The plaintiff pursued an appeal, prompting the Supreme Court’s examination of the matter. It concluded that the Arizona Constitution establishes the office of the county sheriff, who is elected directly by voters, rather than being accountable to the County Board of Supervisors.

The ruling emphasized that Arizona’s governmental structure displays a separation of responsibilities, meaning that each officer, including sheriff deputies, is independently answerable to the electorate.

The court noted, “We cannot be vicariously liable for the negligence of a deputy officer since the county does not oversee the deputy sheriff in their enforcement actions.”

It was also mentioned that any financial repercussions resulting from the negligence of the deputy were still treated as a “county claim” and covered by the county, as dictated by Arizona law.

The ruling further clarified that the county is not exempt from financial responsibility for covering the costs arising from lawsuits involving the sheriff.

Ultimately, the Supreme Court upheld the Superior Court’s decision to approve Maricopa County’s motion to dismiss the case.