By Dustin Gardiner | Arizona Republic
A U.S. District Court judge has decided that Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk can be sued for monetary damages after she violated former Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne’s due process rights.
The order is the latest twist in a legal saga over allegations that Horne broke campaign finance laws during the 2010 election.
The case centered on whether Horne and his campaign illegally coordinated with an outside spending group headed by ally Kathleen Winn on ads attacking Horne’s Democratic opponent.
Horne and Winn have long maintained their innocence, and a county attorney determined th
ere wasn’t enough evidence to conclude they violated the law.
In the course of the case, Horne and Winn became entangled in a spat with Polk, who led the investigation against Horne and ordered him to refund about $400,000 in donations and pay $1.2 million in fines.
The Arizona Supreme Court found that Polk violated Horne and Winn’s due process rights by acting as “accuser, advocate and final decision maker” in the administrative law case.
