Arizona Vigilante Roger Barnett Found Liable

February 19th, 2009

Earlier this week our friends at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) reported that an Arizona jury found Roger Barnett, a vigilante rancher on the border between Arizona and Mexico, liable for assaulting and intentionally inflicting emotional distress on a group of immigrants he found on public land. Barnett, armed with a gun and a dog, held several women at gunpoint, kicking one of the unarmed women and threatening to shoot or have his dog attack anyone who tried to leave. The women plaintiffs were awarded $73,352 in damages.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Barnett has done this. Barnett has a history of racial assault. In 2004, he held the Morales family at gunpoint, this time armed with a semi-automatic military-style assault rifle. Yelling racial slurs, Barnett threatened to kill them. The family and the friend accompanying them on their hunting trip were all U.S. citizens. In September 2008, they were awarded close to $100,000 in damages by the Arizona Supreme Court.

While we are encouraged that Barnett has had to pay a price for his predilection for racial assaults, one has to wonder how much money Barnett is willing to spend before he stops and how many similar attacks have gone unreported.

Read the full text of MALDEF's press release below.



110 Broadway, Suite 300, San Antonio, TX 78025 Office: 210-224-5476

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION February 18, 2009	CONTACT: Estuardo Rodriguez: 202-631-2892 Marisol Perez: 210-224-5476
ARIZONA JURY FINDS VIGILANTE RANCHER LIABLE FOR ATTACK ON IMMIGRANTS MALDEF hails verdict as fair outcome for immigrant plaintiffs
TUCSON, AZ - Yesterday, a civil jury held that a vigilante rancher operating along the Arizona-Mexico border is liable for assaulting and intentionally inflicting emotional distress on a group of immigrants he found on public land. The plaintiffs were resting in a wash in Douglas, Arizona when they were accosted by defendant Roger Barnett who was armed with a gun and accompanied by a large dog. Roger Barnett held the group captive at gunpoint, threatening that his dog would attack and that he would shoot anyone who tried to leave. During the encounter, Barnett kicked a plaintiff as she was lying, unarmed, on the ground. The jury found in favor of the women plaintiffs and awarded damages on their claims of assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Barnett must now pay $73,352 in damages to the victims. This is not the first racial assault case filed against the Barnett family. The Morales family and Emma English, a family friend, are U.S. citizens who filed suit after Barnett confronted them on state land in November 2004, while they were on a family hunting trip. Armed with a semi-automatic military-style assault rifle, Barnett held the family at gunpoint, cursed and screamed racial slurs at them and threatened to kill them all. In September 2008, the Arizona Supreme Court rejected Barnett's appeal and allowed to stand a jury award to the family of close to $100,000 in damages. "A jury of ordinary people found that Roger Barnett's conduct was extreme and outrageous and will not be tolerated," stated David H. Urias, counsel for the plaintiffs and an associate with the law firm of Freedman Boyd Hollander Goldberg & Ives P.A. "We are very pleased with the jury's verdict. The plaintiffs in this case had the unique opportunity to testify about the horrifying actions of defendant Roger Barnett. This verdict in favor of the plaintiffs sends a strong message condemning vigilante violence against immigrants," stated Marisol Perez, MALDEF staff attorney and counsel for the plaintiffs. The law firms of Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP and Haralson, Miller, Pitt, Feldman & McAnally, P.L.C., participated as pro bono counsel on behalf of the plaintiffs.
Founded in 1968, MALDEF, the nation's leading Latino legal civil rights organization, promotes and protects the rights of Latinos through litigation, advocacy, community education and outreach, leadership development, and higher education scholarships. For more information on MALDEF, please visit: http://www.maldef.org/.