GEORGETOWN – Williamson County is gearing up to defend itself after former Sheriff Robert Chody and former Assistant County Attorney Jason Nassour are demanding $35 million to settle a civil lawsuit.
The action comes not long after felony charges accusing the pair of tampering with evidence were dismissed.
Also during the July 28 meeting, the county’s representative body discussed roadworks.
Meanwhile, County Commissioners voted to hire Howry Breen & Herman LLP of Austin to represent Williamson County relating to the lawsuit naming the county, Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick and Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza as defendants, as well as both counties' prosecutors Michael Waldman and Dexter Gilford.
Commissioners did not take action to hire or fund legal services for Dick or Waldman.
Before heading into executive session to deliberate the lawsuit, County Judge Steve Snell said commissioners would discuss “the appropriateness of representing the district attorney, who might be acting as a state actor versus a county actor.”
Chody and Nassour filed a federal civil rights lawsuit claiming prosecutorial misconduct on the part of officials in Travis and Williamson counties. They are asking for a settlement of $35 million.
According to Fox 7, if a settlement is not reached by Aug. 12, the pair may seek damages up to $60 million.
Chody and Nassour had been under indictment after investigators accused them of permitting producers of the reality TV show “Live PD” to eradicate raw video related to the in-custody death of Javier Ambler in March 2019 after he was tased.
It later came to light neither Chody nor Nassour had the video nor governed it, nor was it legally obtained before its destruction, officials noted.
The two men briefly stood trial in August 2024, but proceedings were placed on an indefinite hold over questions of evidence. In May, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals did not allow the case to go forward and charges were dropped in June.
A separate legal action is underway regarding thousands of dollars in compensation paid to jurors in Travis County while the trial was on hold.
While in executive session, commissioners also discussed legal matters relating to Oncor Electric Delivery Co.’s Muscovy Switch – Voss Lake Switch 345 kilovolt transmission line project in Williamson and Milam counties, as well as the Oncor and Lower Colorado River Authority’s proposed Bell County East – Big Hill 765 KV transmission line project.
No action was taken in open session on those items.
County sees road contract savings
Two recent road projects came in below the contract amount and one was increased at Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting.
Joe Bland Construction encountered groundwater beneath the proposed roadway on the CR 110 North project. Commissioners approved additional work costs of $330,045 for the project, for an adjusted total of $6.87 million. The contractor added oversized rock and French drains to redirect the water.
Liberty Civil Construction made changes in the CR 460 reconstruction project that resulted in a net decrease of more than $226,000 while increasing safety along the roadway, according to county documents.
The contracted amount dropped from $1.8 million to $1.6 million.
As part of the East Wilco Highway Segment 2 Phase 1 project, Capital Excavation realigned a proposed drainage ditch at FM 1660. This resulted in a reduction in the quantity for several work items, yielding the county $471,245 in savings, county officials said.
They added when added to other change orders on this project, the total savings have been more than $9 million deducted from the original contract cost.
