Federal lawsuit against Harrison County coroner moves forward

A federal judge says six black-owned funeral homes can proceed toward trial with their lawsuit alleging that Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove discriminates in favor of white-owned competitors over who gets county-controlled business.
U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett ruled mostly for the plaintiffs, although he did dismiss some of the claims against Hargrove. Starrett says the plaintiffs produced enough evidence against Hargrove for the case to proceed. Ten of the plaintiffs’ original 13 legal grounds for the lawsuit remain alive.
Hargrove and a lawyer for Harrison County deny discrimination, although they say some decisions were made by a now-deceased pathologist.
News 25 reached out to Hargrove who declined to comment.