Trial date set in wrongful death suit
Justin and Jillian Harrod. Courtesy photo
An April 2026 trial date has been set in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by Kingsland resident Jillian Harrod over the death of her husband. Justin Harrod was shot and killed by Llano County deputies in his front yard in 2022.
Harrod v. Llano County Sheriff Bill Blackburn et al. was filed on April 11 of this year in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division. The lawsuit claims excessive force by Sheriff Blackburn and deputies Byron Cervantez and Randy Shaw, inadequate training of LCSO deputies, and deliberate indifference by the sheriff in Harrod’s death.
On Oct. 23, 2022, Jillian Harrod called 911 and told the dispatcher her husband was drunk and had fired his gun, and she was afraid he would injure or kill himself. Deputies arrived at the couple’s Kingsland home and found Justin Harrod passed out face down on top of his gun in the front yard. The fatal shots were fired 20 minutes later.
Harrod died at the Kingsland Community Center, where he was taken to wait for medical helicopter transport.
On Oct. 21 of this year, Jillian Harrod asked the court to amend her initial filing to include a third deputy, Travis Glosson. The defendants opposed that motion, which awaits a ruling from U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman.
OTHER DEADLINES
Along with a trial date of April 13, 2026, Judge Pitman set Jan. 10, 2025, as the deadline for both sides in the case to submit an alternative dispute resolution, which is a different way to solve a case without going to trial. Harrod submitted her written ADR statement on Oct. 11. The defendants have until Nov. 12 to submit a counteroffer. Details of the offers are not public.
Dec. 13 is the deadline for both parties to amend their motions to the court or the plaintiff to add additional parties to the lawsuit.
Dates in February and March of 2025 were set for submitting phased discovery on the issue of qualified immunity. The defendants assert they are entitled to a defense of qualified immunity, which protects government officials from individual liability for damages done while they are doing their job.
Discovery deadlines on the rest of the case were set for August and October 2025.