Sex Noises, Photoshops, A Hand On The Thigh: St. Paul Mayor's Alleged Conduct

ST. PAUL, MN — St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry's lawsuit against Mayor Kaohly Her runs 73 pages, and it is packed with allegations about how the mayor treated him and other police department employees.

Henry filed the suit Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court, naming Her and the City of St. Paul as defendants. It accuses Her of sexual harassment and battery, and accuses the city of retaliating against Henry after he reported her in March.

The filing comes days after the city wrapped up an outside investigation into Henry's complaint.

According to the lawsuit, a Sept. 17 letter from the city's human resources director to Her said the investigation "did not substantiate" several allegations, including that she made sexual noises while exercising at a city facility.

Henry's suit calls the city's public summary of the findings false and says he still hasn't been given the full report.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Here is what Henry claims in the lawsuit:

— Talk about her marriage: In late December 2025 and January 2026, Her repeatedly told Henry things like "I go weeks without ever seeing my husband," "I'm all by myself at that house most of the time" and "I connect better with men than women."

— A threat at a cigar lounge: At a Dec. 29, 2025 meeting at a cigar lounge with Henry and St. Paul Port Authority President Todd Hurley, Her allegedly said that if she didn't get what she wanted, she would tell people Hurley "grabbed her ass."

— "You're so beefy": Her began using the police department's gym almost daily and approached Henry, Sgt. Toy Vixayvong and Deputy Chief Jeff Stiff while they worked out, calling them "beefy."

— Noises in the gym: The suit claims Her made grunting and moaning noises that sounded like she was having an orgasm while stretching or lifting weights. At least four witnesses told the city's investigators about the noises, and a fifth person Henry named was never interviewed, the suit says.

— "You need to be nice to me": In January, Her allegedly brought up the fact that the police department had not endorsed her campaign, telling Henry, "The fire department endorsed me, and you didn't." When Henry said the department cannot legally endorse candidates, she allegedly replied that firefighters "will get things because they are being nice to me" and that he would "need to be extra nice to me."

— Doctored photos in his office: Her allegedly took a personal photo from Henry's office and Photoshopped his face, along with Stiff's and Vixayvong's, onto the bodies of bodybuilders with "prominent bulges" in their compression shorts. She put it in a gold frame and left it in his office while he was away, the suit says. She allegedly did the same with a boy band photo.

— UFC fighters in the hallway: The suit says Her also put the faces of Henry and other police leaders on UFC fighters and displayed the images in a sixth-floor hallway at police headquarters.

— Her face over the brass: Her allegedly placed photos of herself over the official portraits of deputy chiefs, over a SWAT retirement plaque, over an award and over a picture of Henry. Then-Deputy Chief Shari Falkowski stopped her from covering her own portrait, telling the mayor she "worked very hard to have her picture on that wall," according to the suit.

— "No sense of humor": When Her learned Henry did not find the photos funny, she told him in front of her first assistant mayor that he "did not have a sense of humor," the suit says.

— A surprise golf visit: On Feb. 6, while Henry and Vixayvong were using vacation time at a golf simulator in Woodbury, Her showed up unannounced, allegedly with her police driver, and said she "had to come like this because you guys wouldn't invite me."

— "Why is Tim's bigger?": At a Feb. 19 police academy graduation, Her allegedly asked Henry "Why is Tim's bigger?" in what he took as an innuendo about his penis. She was pointing to Deputy Chief Tim Flynn's ribbon bar, according to the suit.

• The MILF remark: At the same ceremony, Her asked what the "MFF" (Mobile Field Force) ribbon on Henry's uniform stood for. When he told her, she allegedly replied, "Oh, I thought it said MILF so maybe I could get one," a reference to a vulgar acronym.

• Late-night calls: Her made repeated after-hours calls to Henry and accused him of trying to "ignore" her when he missed one, saying the two needed a "close relationship," the suit claims.

— A Saturday night at a saloon: Her set up a Feb. 28 Saturday night meeting to "get to know" Henry, said spouses weren't invited "this time," and moved it to Sweeney's Saloon because it served THC-infused drinks, according to the suit. There, she allegedly said her marriage had been "wrecked" by her career, offered Henry a ride home if he drank, and asked whether he wanted to be "friends, colleagues, or neither." She told him he could be her friend, just an employee, or "go," and said she didn't "think this is going to work," the suit says. When Henry noted he had agreed to come, she allegedly said, "I'm the Mayor, you had to."

— "He likes you more than me": After Henry spoke with the first assistant mayor about a call, Her allegedly told the aide, "He likes you more than me" and "Maybe he would rather talk to you."

— A hand on his thigh: At a March 18 budget meeting, Her said she couldn't read the screen, pulled a chair next to Henry and twice put her hand on his upper thigh under the table, the second time with her fingers extending toward his groin, according to the suit. Assistant Chief Paul Ford saw it happen once, the suit says.

— Comments to women officers: Her allegedly asked Falkowski in the women's locker room, "How do my boobs look?" and complimented the breasts of Falkowski and another officer.

— The "weinering" texts: Her sent police employees text messages about what they looked like after having a "good weinering," which the suit says referred to sex. Henry called it the "straw that broke the camel's back" and reported her on March 26.

— More touching after the complaint: At an April 21 budget retreat, Her allegedly singled Henry out repeatedly, put her hand on his arm and reached up to fix his "crooked" collar.

— A seat next to the mayor: At a May 19 community event, Henry was assigned a front-row seat directly beside Her in a theater with small seats, so close that their thighs touched, the suit says.

The lawsuit also accuses Her and the city of retaliating against Henry after he came forward. Among the claims: that Her directed a paid public relations campaign to question his motives, that the city left Henry's salary just $2 an hour above his assistant chief's after raising pay for the rest of command staff, that Her repeatedly pushed Henry to weigh in on promoting Vixayvong, a witness in the case, even after he asked to be left out, and that the city withheld records about Her's police driver requested under state public records law.

The suit brings six counts: violations of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, the Minnesota Whistleblower Act and the Minnesota Human Rights Act against the city, plus aiding and abetting and common-law battery claims against Her personally.

Henry is seeking damages of more than $50,000 on each count, a jury trial and the full investigative report.

In a written statement quoted in the lawsuit, Her previously said "some of my attempts at humor fell short of the standard I expect of myself." The suit says Her stated publicly on Sept. 18 that she never made the statements attributed to her.

Her and the city have 21 days after being served to file a response in court.