Here’s how much Tarrant County plans to pay attorneys for guards in jail death lawsuit
The county could end up spending as much as $60,000 on outside legal representation for the jailers accused of murdering Anthony Johnson Jr. in April, according to a pair of proposals on the county commissioners’ agenda for Tuesday.
Johnson’s family filed a civil suit in federal court against Tarrant County, jailers Rafael Moreno and Joel Garcia, and 10 unnamed jailers on July 22.
Video of the altercation released by the Sheriff’s Office showed that Moreno knelt on Johnson’s back for around a minute and a half, remaining on top of him after Johnson was heard saying he could not breathe. Garcia was the commanding officer at the time and recorded cell phone video of the altercation.
Commissioners will vote on hiring Fort Worth-based attorney Kenneth E. East to represent Moreno at an hourly rate of $280. A separate agenda item proposes hiring Arlington-based attorney Jim Jeffrey to represent Garcia for $250 an hour. Each contract would be for a total cost of no more than $30,000, according to commissioners court documents, which state that fees going beyond that limit would be subject to further approval.
Any other substantial expenses, such as travel costs or hiring outside experts or consultants, must also be approved separately by the court, the documents state.
Johnson’s mother Jacualyne told the Star-Telegram that “what the county and the jailers have done to us will cause us a lifetime of pain.”
The family’s attorney Daryl Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for the county also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Sheriff’s Office referred the Star-Telegram to the Criminal District Attorney’s Office, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Moreno and Garcia were indicted on murder charges in June and fired a few days later. It was the second time they were fired in relation to Johnson’s death. The two were fired on May 15, but reinstated later that month after what the Sheriff’s Office said was a failure to follow protocol.
East and Jeffrey have represented other law enforcement officials in similar cases. East still represents former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean in a lawsuit brought by the family of Atatiana Jefferson.
Dean was found guilty of manslaughter in December 2022 for the shooting death of Jefferson in her home in October 2019. He was sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison.
The Fort Worth City Council approved a $3.5 million settlement in that case in November for Jefferson’s nephew Zion Carr, who witnessed the shooting. Since Carr is a minor, the settlement requires a federal judge’s approval, the paperwork for which was filed in January.
East has also represented other Fort Worth police officers in use of force lawsuits. He declined to comment.
Jeffrey represented former Fort Worth Police Chief Ed Kraus in that same case, but Kraus was dropped from the case in September 2021.
Jeffrey could not be reached for comment.
Washington has said that the Johnson family’s suit is more about bringing change to the Tarrant County jail than winning money.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ruled in July that the county does not have to release the full video of the altercation that resulted in Johnson’s death.
The Johnson family has viewed the video in its entirety and have called for its release to the public. Johnson’s mother described the video to the Star-Telegram in May, calling it “quite a nightmare.” His father called what he saw on the video “inhumane.”
