KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City, Missouri City Council has reached an agreement to pay former Mayoral aide Ruth Bates $550,000 to settle all of her claims against the city. The final approval came in a vote as the first agenda item in Thursday afternoon's city council meeting.
The measure was approved by a 7-3 vote. Those voting in favor were Bill Skaggs, Deb Hermann, Russ Johnson, Melba Curls, Sharon Sanders-Brooks, Jan Marcason and Cindy Circo. Three members voted against the settlement: Ed Ford, Beth Gottstein and John Sharp. Terry Riley and Cathy Jolly were absent and Mayor Funkhouser abstained from the vote.
The settlement ends the discrimination case that has roiled City Hall.
Ruth Bates will receive the money to end her claims that she experienced racial and sexual harrassment and discrimination during her year-long stint in the mayor's office. She claimed Funkhouser's wife, Gloria Squitiro, created a hostile work environment by frequently making lewd and racially insensitive comments in the office. Among Bates' claims was that Squitiro called her and another black woman in the office "Mammy".
Click Here to Watch City Hall Reporter Chris Hernandez' EXCLUSIVE Interview with Bates, Who Candidly Discusses the Settlement and the Case.
The settlement also includes a pending complaint by Bates against Funkhouser and the city over a previously issued news release. In the news release, Funkhouser blasted Bates, calling her a fabricator and opportunist. He issued the news release over a settlement by his office, but that deal later fell through.
Jury selection in the case was scheduled to start Friday and opening arguments were slated for Monday, July 27. Last week, the council authorized city attorney Galen Beaufort to offer up to $550,000 to settle the case.
The council previously had offered up to $200,000. Council members substantially increased their offer after NBC Action News obtained last week a profanity-filled journal from Squitiro, who served as a full-time volunteer in Funkhouser's office until the council booted her from that role in response to the Bates lawsuit.
In the 35-page journal, Squitiro offered racy comments including saying about Bates, “(expletive) you Ruth Bates. You wanted to start something, well now you started something. Watch out. My lawyer is coming to get you.” She also offered candid assessments of council members including calling one a moron.
Click Here to Read the Entire Document: WARNING - Contains Some Explicit LanguageFunkhouser has said publicly the journal was part of a larger diary and part of it was downloaded onto his personal computer, which had been connected with the city's servers. The journal was turned over by Funkhouser's city-paid attorney two weeks ago as part of discovery in the case.
Bates had also maintained she suffered retaliation after she filed her initial discrimination claim with a state agency. Documents turned over in the case appeared to support Bates' retaliation claim.
The settlement will end the case against the city and Funkhouser. Last November, Squitiro's homeowners insurance company settled the claims against her for $45,000.
Funkhouser and Squitiro have repeatedly denied the allegations made by Bates in her lawsuit, which was originally filed in June 2008 in Jackson County Circuit Court. As recently as Monday afternoon, during a news conference, Funkhouser maintained he would be vindicated in the trial.
The settlement agreement does not stipulate that Funkhouser apologize, which some council members had wanted as a condition.
