Austin Flake has lost a lawsuit against former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.The former sheriff was accused of trumping up charges in the Gilbert dog deaths case.
The decision was announced on Friday morning after closing arguments were made on Thursday.
The attorney for Flake released the following statement to us:
"The struggle to hold government officials accountable has always required a steep, perilous climb. Although we disagree with the jury’s verdict, we are grateful we had the opportunity to force former Sheriff Arpaio and his subordinates at Maricopa County to account for their indisputably reckless conduct. Near the end of the trial, we discovered that the County failed to turn over documents that might have helped us prove our case. The Court has ordered the County to explain its failure and indicated that it will not enter a final judgment in the case until a satisfactory explanation is provided. We will access our future options in this fight when the County complies with the Court’s Order."
A lawyer for Flake and his ex-wife Logan Brown said his clients were emotionally devastated by the now-dismissed animal cruelty case filed against them in the 2014 heat-exhaustion deaths of 21 dogs at a kennel operated by Flake's in-laws.
The charges against the Flakes, who were caring for the dogs while the in-laws were in Florida, were dismissed at the request of prosecutors after an expert determined the kennel's air conditioner failed because the operators didn't properly maintain it. In the end, the kennel operators pleaded guilty to charges.
Stephen Montoya, an attorney for Flake and Brown, said Arpaio has shown no remorse for bringing the case against his clients, downplayed his extensive efforts to publicize the investigation and is now unable to cite any evidence to back up the charges that were lodged against the couple.
