The Texas Fifth Court of Appeals upended Fort Worth’s move yesterday to lock in an $850,000 mediated settlement with former crime lab scientist Trisa Crutcher, sending the fight back to the trial court. The reversal scrambles a deal the city signed off on last year and leaves a nagging question hanging over the case: what happens to the money that has already been funneled into court-controlled accounts. Attorneys for both sides say the decision puts the dispute squarely back in front of a trial judge and could shape whether Crutcher is reinstated or granted any other relief.
Appeals court throws out enforcement
The appeals court ruled that the City of Fort Worth used the wrong legal vehicle when it tried to enforce the mediated agreement, then sent the matter back to the trial court to fix that mistake, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The opinion tells the lower court to sort out what procedure should actually be used and to settle remaining arguments about how far the settlement is supposed to reach. The ruling does not decide the merits of Crutcher’s whistleblower allegations, which stay on the trial court’s plate for now.
How the settlement came together
Crutcher and the city reached a mediated settlement last year, and the Fort Worth City Council signed off on the $850,000 payout in April 2024, according to Fort Worth Report. The dispute traces back to a whistleblower complaint Crutcher lodged while working in the police department’s biology unit, which later grew into multiple lawsuits claiming retaliation. City records show the settlement traveled through Fort Worth’s risk-fund process before the parties asked that the money be placed under the oversight of the court.
What investigators found
In a 174-page complaint, Crutcher accused the Fort Worth crime lab of repeated policy violations and problems with how evidence was handled, which prompted a review by the Texas Forensic Science Commission. In a final report dated July 16, 2021, the commission found that lab policies were not always followed but declined to find professional negligence or misconduct, instead recommending upgrades to the lab’s quality systems, according to the Texas Forensic Science Commission. Those findings sit at the heart of the ongoing debate over whether the blame lies with lab leadership or individual analysts.
Money, disbursements and the practical fallout
The city deposited the settlement funds into an account controlled by the trial court in June 2024, and court filings show that one recipient collected slightly more than $450,000 while the balance was parked in a trust managed by Crutcher’s attorney, Stephen Kennedy, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Because the appeals court has now sent the issue back, it is an open question whether any of that money will have to move again, depending on how the trial judge reads and applies the mediated agreement. City officials say the city attorney’s office is reviewing the opinion and weighing its next steps.
Where this leaves the case
With the case returned to the trial court, judges will now decide how, or whether, the mediated settlement can be enforced and if Crutcher’s underlying retaliation claims should head toward a full trial. The Texas Supreme Court previously declined to hear related procedural issues, which effectively cleared the path for the trial court proceedings to continue, according to KRLD/Audacy. Both sides are expected to file fresh motions as they ask the trial judge to apply the appeals court’s instructions and spell out what rights each party has under the mediated deal.
For Fort Worth residents, the ruling keeps a bright spotlight on a crime lab that state investigators have already said needs reform, and it guarantees that a long‑running fight over whistleblower protections and lab oversight will continue to play out in public court records in the months ahead.
