St. Paul Police Chief Sues Mayor, Accusing Her of Sexual Harassment, tell me about this news in (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/us/st-paul-mayor-sexual-harassment-suit.html)

St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry filed a lawsuit against St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and the City of Saint Paul, alleging sexual harassment and unlawful retaliation.

• The Accusations: Chief Axel Henry, who has headed the St. Paul Police Department since 2022 and has served on the force for 28 years, alleges that Mayor Kaohly Her engaged in a prolonged pattern of sexual harassment and inappropriate workplace conduct directed at him and other city employees. The suit also claims that city officials retaliated against him after he formally raised these concerns.

• Prior Internal Inquiry: Henry initially lodged a formal complaint through his legal counsel in April. The city subsequently commissioned an independent law firm to investigate the allegations.

• City Findings: On September 18, the city released a summary of the investigation’s findings. While the summary stated that legal claims of sexual harassment and retaliation were “unsubstantiated,” the inquiry determined that Mayor Her had engaged in “offensive and inappropriate behavior” that breached the city’s workplace conduct standards.

• Mayor Her’s Position: Following the release of the summary, Mayor Herwho took office in January as the city’s first female and first Hmong American mayoracknowledged that she had been “too informal” in her communications and had crossed boundaries, offering an apology for actions that violated workplace policies while maintaining that she did not engage in harassment.

• Relief Sought: Chief Henry’s lawsuit seeks damages exceeding $50,000 per count under state court requirements and renews calls for the full, unredacted independent investigation report to be made public.