St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her allegedly made comments to Police Chief Axel Henry about his penis size, and made “unwanted and nonconsensual” physical contact with Henry multiple times, according to a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the chief’s attorney on Wednesday.
The complaint, obtained by Sahan Journal, names Her and the city of St. Paul as defendants and details several instances of alleged sexual harassment and retaliatory conduct by the mayor that occurred between December 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. It was filed by Henry’s attorney, Chris Madel, in Ramsey County District Court.
Henry alleged Her created doctored, sexualized images of Henry and other St. Paul Police officers and placed them in Henry’s office, used sexually explicit acronyms and placed her hand on his upper thigh two times during a budget meeting in March, among other instances of alleged harassment.
The chief also alleged the mayor retaliated against him for filing a complaint against her in March by excluding him from decision-making processes involving personnel and raising the salaries of all members of the police department’s command staff except Henry.
Henry’s attorney filed the lawsuit less than a week after the city released a summary of the investigation into a complaint Henry filed with the city’s human resources department earlier this year, which was conducted by an outside law firm.
The workplace complaint, which was made public in July via news reports, alleged the mayor made sexually explicit comments and noises while using the police department’s gym. Her also allegedly made jokes with city employees about a weekly “Wiener Wednesday” tradition within the police department, where she superimposed the face of an officer on her security detail onto a meme about “wienering” and sent it to the officer along with an innuendo-laden text message.
The investigation concluded that the mayor had engaged in “offensive” and “inappropriate” behavior and created an “uncomfortable” work environment for city employees but that she ultimately did not commit sexual harassment.
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The lawsuit restates several allegations made by Henry in the workplace complaint, and lists several more that lay out a pattern of after-hours calls, inappropriate comments and retaliation.
According to the lawsuit, Her allegedly drove to a golf simulator in Woodbury, where Henry was taking personal time with a sergeant, to surprise him. On another occasion, Her allegedly invited Henry out to a restaurant on a Saturday night, where the mayor made repeated comments about how her marriage was failing and that the two needed to be close or “this was not going to work.”
During a police academy graduation ceremony in February, Henry alleged Her made a reference to the size of his penis and referred to herself as a “MILF,” a sexually explicit acronym. Later that month, Her allegedly asked Henry to meet her at a restaurant in an effort to get to know the chief better, then changed the location to a bar that served THC-infused drinks. During the meeting at the bar, Henry alleged the mayor made multiple comments about her marriage and offered to drive him home in an effort to get the chief to drink an alcoholic beverage.
At an in-person budget meeting on March 18, Henry alleged Her put her hand on the chief’s upper thigh two times, which was witnessed by Assistant Chief Paul Ford.
The chief is asking the court to compel the city to provide him with the complete report and investigative documents regarding his original sexual harassment complaint, which he said the city has refused to share with him despite his request. The six counts include violations of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, the Minnesota Whistleblower Act and the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which includes protections against sexual harassment.
Henry is also seeking damages in excess of $50,000 for lost wages and benefits, emotional distress, humiliation and harm to reputation, according to the complaint.
In a statement to Sahan Journal, Mayor’s Office spokesman Matt Wagenius declined to comment on the lawsuit but pointed to the results of the investigation into Henry’s workplace complaint.
“An independent investigation did not substantiate claims of sexual harassment or retaliation against any city employee,” Wagenius said. “The Mayor will continue to lead Saint Paul and follow the recommendations of the report.”
