Harris County Jail faces federal lawsuit over alleged assault

A federal lawsuit has been filed against Harris County Jail and several of its officers, alleging a brutal assault on a 22-year-old inmate, Anasia Smith, in July 2023. The lawsuit claims that nine detention officers, including multiple ranking officials, violently attacked Smith after she requested to be relieved from voluntary cleaning duties due to exhaustion. The lawsuit and security footage was provided to FOX 26 by the Texas Civil Rights Project, a nonprofit organization representing Anasia Smith.