The Cochise County Superior Court has dismissed a lawsuit that challenged the Cochise County Jail District. Plaintiffs Steven C. Dickinson and Edwin Allen Groover requested to withdraw their case with prejudice before a scheduled status hearing. The motion was granted by visiting Judge Henry E. Whitmer from Yavapai County during a brief hearing on Friday.
Board Chair Frank Antenori commented on the outcome, stating, “From day one this was a frivolous lawsuit, crafted to grab headlines, not to prevail on the merits. By pulling the plug before the hearing, the plaintiffs avoided potential exposure under A.R.S. § 12-349, which allows courts to award fees and costs for unjustified or bad-faith litigation. Meanwhile, taxpayers ate the bill for staff time and legal preparation. That’s a waste, and it distracts from the real work at hand: informing voters about the November 4 Jail District Election.”
The County Attorney’s Office had prepared for the hearing and was in the process of filing its own motion to dismiss. Since the plaintiffs withdrew their case prior to the hearing, the court did not consider fees or sanctions.
Cochise County officials said they will continue efforts to educate voters ahead of the November 4 jail district election. Residents are encouraged to use county resources for information on elections, voter services, and the jail district.
In other matters related to the county, recent data shows that student performance in standardized testing remains a concern. In the 2022-23 school year, 70% of students in grades 3 through 8 in Cochise County did not pass the mathematics section of the AASA, and 76% of high school students did not pass the mathematics section of the ACT (https://www.azed.gov/). For English, 62.4% of students in grades 3 through 8 failed the AASA English section, while 65% of high schoolers did not pass the ACT English section (https://www.azed.gov/). More recent figures from the 2023-24 school year show that 27% of high schoolers passed the mathematics section of the ACT and 28.5% of students in grades 3 through 8 passed the mathematics section of the AASA (https://www.azed.gov/).
