Law firm in jail death case already clocked $30K. Tarrant commissioners to OK $20K more
The Tarrant County Commissioners Court will consider approving another $20,000 to retain outside legal counsel for a jailer involved in the death of Marine veteran Anthony Johnson Jr. last April.
Commissioners approved up to $30,000 to hire Richardson-based law firm Brown & Hofmeister, L.L.P. to represent jailer Phylicia Hollie in November. To date, that firm has billed the county $31,892.89, according to court documents.
The money will come out of a county self-insurance fund allocated for litigation expenses.
Johnson died after an altercation with guards on April 21, 2024. The county medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, and two other jailers — Rafael Moreno and Joel Garcia — have been indicted on murder charges.
The lawsuit brought by Johnson’s family in July named Moreno, Garcia and 13 other jailers as defendants.
A proposal to approve $35,000 more for Hollie’s defense was on the agenda for the court’s Jan. 28 meeting, but commissioners ended up not voting on it after discussing it during executive session.
During discussion of the proposal, Precinct 2 Commissioner Alisa Simmons noted the high and rising cost of legal representation in the Johnson lawsuit and asked the county’s legal counsel why Hollie’s defense has come to require more funding for outside attorneys.
“Ego is going to cost this county a mint,” she said. “This money is money that could have gone toward a settlement. … We’re giving away free money. These firms are going to try to get as much money out of us as possible, because they know that this is a case that should be settled.”
Simmons had a staffer hold before the court a display shaped like a thermometer showing that the county has so far spent $400,000 of taxpayer funds on outside legal counsel in the Johnson case.
“We snuffed out the life of Anthony Johnson Jr.,” Simmons said. “We all do the math, and here we are again.”
Speaking during the public comment section on the item that day, Fort Worth resident Bishop Kirkland called Hollie “small fish” and admonished the commissioners for getting into a “pissing contest” with Johnson’s family.
“Why does Tarrant County grievously, continuously and blindly write these checks for a fragmented, dysfunctional sheriff,” he said. “When does the buck stop? Better yet, when does this county stop and recognize what we’ve done to veteran Marine Anthony Johnson, and just simply say, ‘We were wrong’?”
Linda Hanratty, also of Fort Worth, told commissioners that her count of public spending in the case so far totaled $585,000.
“Now, did she do something special that she needs to use more money?” she asked, referring to Hollie. “Or are all of them going to need it? And that’s 14 more people.”
The commissioners approved hiring outside attorneys for Moreno and Garcia in August. They approved hiring three more in September, nine others in November and one more in December, as well as outside counsel for the county, which was approved for up to $100,000.
Each outside attorney has been approved for an expense of up to $30,000. With 15 outside lawyers and the firm to represent the county — and the additional funding, if approved on Tuesday — the commissioners will have allocated up to $585,000 on legal fees alone in the case.
The Star-Telegram reached out to the Johnson family attorney, Daryl Washington, but did not immediately receive a response.
