St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry sued Democratic Mayor Kaohly Her over sexual harassment and retaliation claims after a city probe found offensive behavior but cleared her of those charges.
St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry filed a 73-page civil lawsuit against Mayor Kaohly Her, accusing her of a string of inappropriate encounters and claiming her administration retaliated after he reported the conduct. The suit seeks a jury trial, damages for lost wages, emotional distress, humiliation, and harm to reputation, and the release of the city’s full investigation report.
The New York Post reported that a city summary of the misconduct probe, released less than a week before the filing, found Her “engaged in offensive and inappropriate behavior” but did not substantiate sexual harassment or retaliation. Her is St. Paul’s first female mayor and a Democrat. The probe came just six months into her term.
Henry’s complaint lays out alleged incidents from November 2025 through March 2026 at the police gym, academy graduation, department hallways, a budget meeting, and an X Golf location. He filed a formal complaint with the city attorney on April 1 over alleged inappropriate and unlawful text messages to city staffers, including one about getting a “good weinering.”
The lawsuit states Henry understood the career danger of accusing the mayor.
The complaint says:
“[Henry] knew that accusing the Mayor of St. Paul of sexual harassment could jeopardize his career. He reported it anyway. He did so because he recognized the seriousness of the misconduct, the vulnerability of those subjected to it, and the likelihood that the conduct would continue if no one spoke up,”
It then alleges the response was not accountability.
“But instead of accountability, the retaliation began. Rather than confront Mayor Her’s misconduct, her administration, and those acting at her direction, embarked on a campaign to retaliate against and discredit Chief Henry,”
Henry’s attorney, Chris Madel, told the Star Tribune his client came forward for the right reasons.
“Axel Henry is an honorable man and a dedicated public servant. He didn’t come forward for attention or advantage, he came forward because what happened was wrong and needed to be reported,”
Madel added that the full record belongs in open court, not a city-written summary.
“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.”
The suit claims that beginning in November 2025, Her began appearing daily at the St. Paul police department gym while Henry worked out. It alleges she made loud grunting and moaning noises and called officers “beefy.” At least five cops allegedly witnessed the sexual sounds.
In January 2026, on multiple occasions, the complaint says she photoshopped the faces of Henry and other department members onto bodybuilders with prominent crotch bulges, printed the images, and hung them in gold frames in department hallways near command portraits, awards, and SWAT plaques. She allegedly pasted her own headshot over official portraits. Two officers who saw one image remarked that their wives would be offended. Henry’s long-time partner found the photograph offensive and utterly inappropriate, the suit states.
On Feb. 6, 2026, the complaint alleges Her tracked Henry’s calendar and followed him to an X Golf location while he was on vacation time with a sergeant. She stayed about 20 minutes and allegedly said she “had to come like this because you guys wouldn’t invite me.”
At a Police Academy graduation on Feb. 19, 2026, with Deputy Chief Tim Flynn present, the suit says Her pointed at Henry’s ribbon bar and asked, “Why is Tim’s bigger?” It also alleges she remarked about an MFF ribbon, “Oh, I thought it said MILF so maybe I could get one.” The complaint says she later accused Henry of lacking a sense of humor.
On March 18, 2026, during a police department budget meeting, the lawsuit alleges Her sat next to Henry and placed her hand on his upper thigh twice, extending her fingers toward his groin the second time.
Mayor spokesperson Matt Wagenius rejected the core legal claims. He said an independent investigation did not substantiate sexual harassment or retaliation against any city employee, and that the mayor will continue to lead Saint Paul and follow the report’s recommendations. Wagenius also said the city does not comment on pending litigation.
“An independent investigation did not substantiate claims of sexual harassment or retaliation against any city employee,”
The city’s summary found offensive and inappropriate behavior. It did not find the harassment or retaliation claims proven. Henry’s suit treats that summary as incomplete and demands the full report be released so a jury can weigh the evidence.
No criminal charges are described in the available reporting. The case now moves from an internal city process to a civil courtroom, where Henry seeks damages and a public airing of the full investigative file.
When a police chief has to sue his own mayor to get a full accounting, voters get a clear look at how seriously a city takes workplace boundaries and chain-of-command accountability.
