KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics on both sides of the state line. If you have a story idea to share, you can send Charlie an email at charlie.keegan@kshb.com.
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When the city of Kansas City, Missouri, has to pay a judgment after losing a lawsuit or reaching a settlement, the money generally comes from tax dollars.
The city places tax dollars in its legal expense fund every year. This account pays for claims in whistleblower, discrimination and other lawsuits involving employees and the public.
“I mean, the taxpayer already got it hard. Got to pay everything,” said Gregory Spikes, taxpayer.
At a meeting earlier this month, the city’s finance director explained the city has insurance policies for properties, cybersecurity and workers comp.
The city does not buy insurance or self-insure for all possibilities. The legal expense fund handles claims outside of its covered areas.
“How are we responsible for the mistakes y’all are making? That’s another thing that’s wrong with the system,” said Christian Fly, who lives and works in Kansas City.
The most recent lawsuit Kansas City lost involved former City Communications Director Chris Hernandez. He said the city manager told him to lie to the media.
A jury awarded Hernandez $700,000 for emotional distress, more than $200,000 in back or lost wages, and the city must pay his lawyer fees.
The city council suspended City Manager Brian Platt the next day.
Hernandez’s attorneys said these lawsuits are about changing the culture in city hall.
“I felt a lot of pressure for this case because I felt like we were fighting for truth, for how our city was going to be run in the future,” said Erin Vernon, of Bratcher Gockel Law.
The city has hired a risk manager and revised policies to avoid lawsuits. That way, tax dollars can go where taxpayers want them spent.
“It’s important to have transparency on where those tax dollars are going so that we feel good about the use of our taxpayer money," said Zane Champie, Kansas Citian.
