ABA Journal: In the first settlement of some $125 million in claims made by Maricopa County, Ariz., officials who say they suffered damages because of alleged off-the-rails prosecution and litigation by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and ex-County Attorney Andrew Thomas, the county has agreed to pay $100,000 to a retired judge.

Former Superior Court Judge Kenneth Fields had initially sought $1.75 million in a defamation and abuse of process claim contending that the two retaliated against him for adverse rulings by naming him as a defendant in a civil racketeering case, the Arizona Republic reports.

An apparent confidentiality provision precluded comment by Fields and his attorney. However, county records confirm the settlement, the newspaper says, and a private practitioner who is overseeing alternative dispute resolution for Maricopa notes that the settlement is minor relative to the amount sought.

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