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St. Paul mayor lawsuit: Full HR report has not been released
In the lawsuit against St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, Police Chief Axel Henry calls the HR investigation summary into her conduct a "whitewash." FOX 9's Mike Manzoni has more.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry wants a copy of the full report detailing the city’s investigation into the sexual harassment and retaliation claims he made against Mayor Kaohly Her earlier this year.
St. Paul police chief files lawsuit
What we know:
Henry filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the mayor on Wednesday, accusing her of making vulgar comments, creating offensive content and inappropriate touching, among other things.
City investigation findings
What the city found:
The city’s human resources director, Kamaria Kassim, put out a two-page letter last week summarizing the findings of a workplace conduct investigation into Her's behavior. The investigation found that she created and shared offensive material, engaged in offensive behavior and created an uncomfortable work environment. But it could not substantiate that she sexually harassed or retaliated against any city employee, sent inappropriate text messages or made sexual noises at a city gym.
Henry's lawsuit pushes back on those findings, questioning how the city could not substantiate the allegation that the mayor made sexual noises at the police gym, pointing out that at least five people heard it and will testify about it. The lawsuit also said the summary released "was not a neutral, good-faith account...."
'Whitewash' claim and what comes next
Henry's response:
Henry's lawsuit called the city's investigation a "whitewash," saying "the city provided Mayor Her, the accused, with a detailed accounting of the investigation's findings...." He also said the city's failure to hand over the full report violates state law. The city finished its investigation on Sept. 14 but has not released the full report.
Henry's attorney, Chris Madel, released a statement after the lawsuit was filed, saying in part: "We look forward to proving our allegations in a court of law, where all evidence, not some sanitized summary written by the city about itself, can finally be heard."
Her appeared at a public event on Wednesday but did not address the lawsuit.