Arizona Supreme Court Decision - A Costly Typo

On August 24, 2026, the Arizona Supreme Court issued an important in an injury vclaim by an individual Joseph Terborg against the Town of Payson.  Claims against public entitites has strict notice of claim requirements and while many attorneys will reference the 180-day deadline, there are additional requirements that if not strictly complied with could potentially be fatal to the claim.  One such additional requirement is that the claim must include a specific amount for which a claim can settle for.  Here, plaintiff Joseph Terborg asserted a six-figure claim but the claim offered to settle for  “one hundred thousand dollars ($250,000).”

Because of this typo with the claim suggesting both $100,000 and also in parenthesis $250,000, the Arizona Supreme Court found the plaintiff failed to comply with the specific amount requirement of the notice of claim requirement.  As a result, the Arizona Supreme Court affirmed the superior court's dismissal of the lawsuit. 

This case stresses why not only is attention to detail extremely important, but sometimes its best to avoid adding unnecessary details when it comes to legal documents.  

The Arizona Supreme Court Decision is currently accessible here:
Terborg v. Town of Payson

*This like all of our blog posts is provided for general information and not legal advice.  If you have an injury claim it is important to contact an experienced injury attorney such as Matt Maerowitz at The Maerowitz Law Firm, LLC, 480-927-3700.