St. Paul police chief sues mayor, alleging threats and retaliation
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St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry has sued the city and Mayor Kaohly Her. Photos: Kyle Stokes/Axios
St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry publicly accused Mayor Kaohly Her of making sexually tinged threats toward his job in a lawsuit filed against both the mayor and the city on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Henry's suit again threatens to upend St. Paul City Hall by making broader claims against Her, just days after an outside investigation did not substantiate a sexual harassment complaint against the mayor.
- Henry's lawsuit also discloses new details about how badly his relationship with the mayor had deteriorated — including Henry's belief that "he was effectively ending his career" by filing his sexual harassment complaint against Her.
What they're saying: When asked about the suit, a spokesperson for Mayor Her pointed to the investigation's findings, noting it "did not substantiate claims of sexual harassment or retaliation."
- Beyond that, Her's spokesperson said the city did not comment on pending lawsuits.
The big picture: Henry's suit says Her engaged in "a repeated pattern of sexually harassing conduct."
- That included a March 18 meeting where he says the mayor twice placed her hand on the chief's upper thigh under a conference room table.
Zoom in: Henry also points to a Saturday night meeting at Sweeney's bar in late February during which — according to the suit — Her asked him, "Do you want to be friends, colleagues, or neither?"
- In context, Henry interpreted this remark as both a loyalty test and "a direct sexual request, i.e., be 'friends' with her in a sexual relationship or lose your job," according to the suit.
Friction point: The third-party investigation examined this Sweeney's meeting, and details about it "remain contested," according to the Star Tribune.
- A publicly released summary of that inquiry's findings said that Her's workplace behavior was "offensive and inappropriate," but didn't find evidence to back up more serious allegations.
Yes, but: The chief says the city has not released the investigation's full findings to him.
- His suit argues that publicly releasing only a "sanitized" summary "falsely minimized" Henry's complaints, violating the state's whistleblower protection law.
Plus: The suit says in January, Her pointedly reminded Henry that the city's firefighters union had endorsed her campaign and the police union had stayed neutral.
- According to Henry, Her said the fire department "will get things because they are being nice to me … You are going to need to be extra nice to me."
Between the lines: According to the suit, two public officials may have raised their concerns directly with the mayor.
- St. Paul Port Authority president Todd Hurley told one of Henry's deputies that he told Her she "can't talk to people the way she does," according to the court filing. (Axios has reached out to the Port Authority for comment.)
- Henry heard from a deputy mayor that City Attorney Irene Kao had also talked with Mayor Her sometime in March about "being too close and familiar with staff." (An email seeking comment from Kao returned with an out-of-office message.)
Catch up quick: After the city released the summary of the investigation's results last week, Mayor Her issued a statement apologizing "for any discomfort" she caused, and acknowledging she "became too informal in my communications and crossed lines" in her workplace behavior.
- She also said she was "deeply disappointed" that the investigation's existence leaked to the press earlier this summer, and it "caused real harm to my family and the public trust."