Justice for Chasity Congious
Civil Rights Lawsuit against Tarrant County to Proceed
It was an important legal victory for the family of Chasity Congious, though the journey to justice is just beginning. On April 17, 2023, attorney Jarrett Adams was granted the right to proceed with his civil rights lawsuit against Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, Texas. The Tarrant County’s five-member commissioners court discussed the possibility of mediating a settlement in a private session. Adams hopes for a settlement out of court in the wrongful arrest of a mentally impaired inmate and death of her newborn daughter three years ago.
When Adams heard about the story in 2020, he couldn’t sleep for days reading about a young pregnant Black woman whose newborn died after being held for months in Tarrant County Jail.
It all began when Fort Worth police officer David Nguyen arrested Chasity Congious, who had several diagnosed mental health disorders. Nguyen jailed Congious instead of being taken to John Peter Smith Hospital for involuntary commitment, as was requested by her family. Congious was held for several months without adequate medical and mental health treatments, and her child, named Z.C.H. in court documents, died shortly after birth inside a jail cell. She was then denied her request to attend the newborn’s funeral.
In his April 2023 ruling, Judge Reed O’Connor considered the unsafe and frequently deadly conditions at the county jail that is managed by Sheriff Bill Waybourn, in granting Adams the right to proceed with his civil rights lawsuit against the county.
Adams said approval to move forward with a suit for damages based on the unsafe condition of the jail was what his firm was hoping for. If Adams wins the case, the funds would be used to help with the mental rehabilitation of Congious, who still lacks the mental capacity to understand her child is dead. The funds would also help the Congious family, who have been emotionally and financially battered from providing for her needs since her relatives cannot afford professional help.