Family of man killed in Tarrant County jail to appeal county’s dismissal from lawsuit
The family of a man who died in the Tarrant County jail in April 2024 will appeal a February ruling dismissing the county from the lawsuit.
Court records filed on Tuesday, April 15, by an attorney for the family of Anthony Johnson Jr. express their intent to appeal four other rulings in the case from recent months as well.
Anthony Johnson Jr. died in the county jail on April 21, 2024, during an altercation with jailers. The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, and two jailers face murder charges.
Those jailers, Rafael Moreno and Joel Garcia, remain listed as defendants alongside six other guards allegedly involved in the altercation.
Federal judge Reed O’Connor dismissed Tarrant County and six jailers listed as defendants from the lawsuit in early February, citing the plaintiffs’ failure to show that Johnson’s death was a result of conditions of confinement, such as overcrowding.
Daryl Washington, the Johnson family’s attorney, said in a statement that he and his clients believe they provided sufficient facts to support the claims against the defendants, and noted that their request to file an amended complaint to provide additional information was denied.
“The county continues to refuse to release the entire video that will clearly show what happened to Anthony was wrong,” Washington said. “With over 60 deaths at the Tarrant County Jail, there’s a major problem at that facility.”
There have been 70 deaths in the Tarrant County jail since Sheriff Bill Waybourn took office in 2017, according to public records.
“The family will not stop fighting until they get justice for Anthony and other inmates who lost their lives” in the jail, Washington said.
The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Criminal District Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting Moreno and Garcia, said it does not comment on pending litigation.
Tuesday’s filing also expressed the plaintiffs’ intent to appeal the dismissal from the lawsuit of jailer Angel Sanchez on April 3, and the court’s denial of the plaintiffs’ request to amend their complaint in response to the Feb. 7 dismissal of the county from the case.
The plaintiffs will also appeal a ruling from December granting jailer Kimberly Nobles a stay in the case, temporarily suspending the proceedings against her. She was dropped from the lawsuit in February.
The filing also expresses the plaintiffs’ intent to appeal a court order in January denying a request for discovery in response to a motion for summary judgment asserting qualified immunity for jailer Phylicia Hollie.
Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that protects law enforcement officers and other government officials from liability in civil lawsuits.
Reed put Hollie’s motion on pause until a later date, and she remains a defendant in the lawsuit.
Johnson’s father, Anthony Johnson Sr., was removed from the Tarrant County Commissioners Court on Tuesday after hitting the speaker podium with his fist during public comments.
Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare ordered his removal from the court in February, and has ordered Johnson’s sister Janell to be removed multiple times.
This story was originally published April 16, 2025 at 3:09 PM.
