Sexual harassment investigation into St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her now complete

Josie Albertson-Grove, Jeff Day and Liz Sawyer, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Sep 18, 2026

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MINNEAPOLIS — The workplace misconduct investigation into St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her was completed this week by an external law firm, though the findings have not yet been publicly released.

St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry, who initiated the sexual harassment inquiry as a named complainant in late March, received a letter from the city’s Human Resources director Thursday informing him that the investigation finished on Monday, according to an email obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune.

“The City will comply with relevant laws regarding the investigation and the results of the investigation,” HR director Kamaria Kassim wrote in the email to Henry.

The chief filed a data request asking for a copy of the findings, according to two people with knowledge of the case. But as of early Friday morning, Henry had not received one or been briefed on its contents.

It’s not clear when — or if — city officials plan to release the full report by St. Cloud-based Resolute Law.

Henry reported Her’s behavior to the city on March 30, alleging that her inappropriate conduct had “extended beyond isolated incidents” to include sexual harassment of subordinates, including members of his police department.

“Chief Henry is not only seeking to address the wrongdoing but also create a measure of protection for his team, signaling that such conduct will not be tolerated,” his attorney, Chris Madel, wrote to St. Paul City Attorney Irene Kao on April 1.

The public was unaware of the pending investigation for months, until the Minnesota Star Tribune reported its existence in late July.

In response, Her acknowledged that some of her “attempts at humor” fell flat and apologized for any “unintended impact” her actions may have had on city employees.

“As Mayor, I take my responsibility to treat every employee with professionalism and respect very seriously,” Her said in a July statement, adding that she was fully cooperating with the investigation.

Accusations that Her created a sexualized work environment arose less than six months after she was elected mayor in an upset over former Mayor Melvin Carter. She is the first woman and Hmong person to hold the office.

So far, the allegations against Her include that she superimposed the face of a police officer onto a meme about “weinering” in relation to a hot dog gathering with top brass in the department; initiated a conversation about her own breasts and the breasts of a deputy chief in the police locker room; made performative sexualized noises while working out; pasted images of herself over photographs of high-ranking officers in department headquarters; superimposed the faces of some St. Paul police officers, including Chief Axel Henry, onto the bodies of UFC fighters; and sent sexualized communications and made unwanted physical contact directed at Henry.

In her first months in office, Her made a visible effort to connect with city workers, going out with a public works crew to patch potholes in January, suiting up and holding a hose at the firefighters’ training facility, and working out with police officers in their gym.

The City of St. Paul’s Workplace Conduct Policy lists several examples of sexual harassment as prohibited, including sharing “sexually explicit images, videos, texts, emails, messages and phone calls.”

On top of that, sexual comments that are “considered unacceptable by another individual” are prohibited and can include comments about an individual’s body that go “beyond mere courtesy.” The policy also prohibits dirty jokes that are part of social media posts, tweets or memes.

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