City council approves $1.4M settlement in whistleblower lawsuit
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The whistleblower case brought by former city communications director Chris Hernandez is wrapped up. Thursday afternoon, the full council approved a $1.4 million payout.
The resolution for the payment was approved by the Finance Committee with no discussion on Tuesday.
The case centered on a lawsuit filed by Hernandez. He claimed former City Manager Brian Platt urged his staff to lie to the media, and the public. Hernandez claimed he was demoted when he pushed back.
In March, a Jackson County jury unanimously agreed with Hernandez, and ordered the city to pay Hernandez over $900,000 in damages. The judge in the case then decided the city should pay nearly 600,000 in legal fees. bringing the payment to $1.4 million.
Platt was suspended shortly after the trial, then fired a week later.
On April 8, just six weeks after Platt’s removal, Mario Vasquez was selected for the position. Vasquez had been Assistant City Manager, and has worked for the city 28 years.
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