St. Paul City Council to discuss sexual harassment lawsuit against Mayor Kaohly Her

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The St. Paul City Council is meeting behind closed doors Wednesday to discuss a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Police Chief Axel Henry against Mayor Kaohly Her.

What's at stake

What we know:

In a lawsuit filed last week, Henry accuses Her of unwanted touching and inappropriate sexual comments. An independent investigation did not find enough evidence to substantiate sexual harassment or retaliation, but did determine the mayor engaged in inappropriate behavior, according to a summary prepared by the city.

The city council is now calling for the full report of that investigation to be released to the public. City leaders say they will not comment on active litigation but have laid out a roadmap for what comes next.

The cost to taxpayers:

The city attorney says defending the mayor in court would present a "potential conflict," which is why city leaders are considering hiring an outside law firm to handle her defense. Legal fees would come out of the city's operating budget and could cost as much as $500 an hour, according to the source material.

Leadership and accountability

What they're saying:

The St. Paul City Council addressed concerns about how the lawsuit could affect the mayor's ability to run the city day to day. In a statement, the council said, "The mayor and her administration must demonstrate that they can continue to lead the city and manage functional relationships with all departments, including SPPD, during this uncertain period."

What we don't know:

The full report from the independent investigation has not yet been released. It remains unclear what the total cost of the litigation could reach or what the outcome of today's closed-door meeting will be.