An independent investigation report on St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her’s behavior, spurred by accusations by Police Chief Axel Henry, revealed how the once-collegial relationship between the two key city leaders quickly soured and then grew even more strained after allegations of sexual harassment.

The 73-page report by St. Cloud-based Resolute Law released Thursday offers more detail than the summary issued last month by the city’s Human Resources department.

It expands on the finding that Her’s conduct was unprofessional and made Henry and some other city staff uncomfortable, but did not rise to the level of sexual harassment and retaliation according to city policy. The report is not a legal finding. Investigators looked at city policies and made no reference to state laws in the report.

The controversy has roiled City Hall for months, and Henry sued the city and the mayor last week alleging sexual harassment and battery and retaliation. In his lawsuit, Henry’s allegations include that Her made “unwanted and nonconsensual physical contact” with him, “placing her hand on his upper thigh beneath a conference-room table — not once, but twice — during a (St. Paul Police Department) budget meeting.” It also accuses Her of making sexual innuendos about the size of Henry’s penis and describing herself as a “MILF,” a sexually vulgar acronym.

Investigators noted that Her and Henry have been communicating via an intermediary, and they wrote in the report that this was “not a sustainable solution as it does not allow for a free flow of dialogue between these two important City leaders.”

City Council members had been calling for release of the full report in recent days. They are also calling on Her to explain how she and the police department will operate going forward.

On Thursday, the mayor’s spokesman Matt Wagenius said the mayor had requested the full investigation report from the city and received a redacted copy, but would not comment further because of the pending litigation.

“The Mayor will be vigorously defending against the lawsuit claims through the court system,” he said.

Henry’s attorney, Chris Madel, issued a statement Thursday saying he’s eager to proceed with the lawsuit.

“If the elected members of St. Paul want to do the right thing, it’s very clear. They must call for this mayor’s immediate resignation,” Madel said Thursday. “If they don’t, they condone sexual harassment. It’s pretty simple.”

Henry’s statements to investigators mirror the complaint he filed as part of the lawsuit, alleging Her made unwelcome advances.

The report also includes statements from women who said Her’s discussion of breasts with them made them uncomfortable, as well as from the person who received the sexualized “Wiener Wednesday” meme and thought it was funny.

The report’s findings include:

Until the release of the full report on Thursday, Her’s perspective on Henry’s allegations has not been public. Her’s office had offered limited statements apologizing for “attempts at humor” and largely declined to argue details of the allegations in public.

But the report includes accounts of lengthy interviews with Her where she told investigators that her relationship with the police chief began collegially, with cigars and an invitation to a golf simulator, but soured after two heated arguments over the police department’s response to Operation Metro Surge.

Her told investigators that she asked Henry what would have to happen for St. Paul officers to intervene in ICE operations in the city, and she was not satisfied with Henry’s answer.

Her also alleged that Henry made uncomfortable comments about her body and her clothes that she chose not to report.

Her told investigators that her disagreements with the police department escalated as she started digging into department budgets. She zeroed in on spending, such as a contract with the body-worn camera company Axon, and construction at police headquarters to prepare for a drone response unit that were not included in the 2026 budget and had not been authorized by the City Council.

She said budget discussions with the police were far more tense than similar talks with other large city departments.

City Council members have been clamoring for the report’s release, and first reviewed the document Thursday.

Council President Rebecca Noecker said she is glad the report has been released.

“Transparency is so important,” she said.

She said she had heard from many constituents who felt their trust in government had been “bruised” by the allegations and the secrecy surrounding the investigation.

“Having this being something everyone can see and review for themselves is really important,” Noecker said.

Ward 4 Council Member Molly Coleman said that she thinks Mayor Her needs to explain how her administration is effectively communicating with the police department in the wake of the allegations and the breakdown in the relationship between the mayor and the police chief.

“The public needs those answers now,” she said. “It is very clear that the situation as it currently stands cannot hold.”

Coleman stopped short of calling for the mayor or the chief to resign.

Coleman said in spite of the investigators’ findings that Her did not sexually harass anyone, the allegation that Her put her hand on Henry’s thigh was still troubling.

“I have a hard time understanding any context in which that would not be sexual harassment,” she said. Coleman also questioned the idea that the relationship broke down over budget negotiations, saying that narrative did not pass the “smell test” for her.

Coleman, daughter of former Mayor Chris Coleman, has been one of the council members most vocal in calling for transparency since news of Henry’s allegations first became public in late July.

The report cost St. Paul $43,933, according to the city. Investigators interviewed Her, Henry and nine other people, and reviewed more than 55,000 text messages from the mayor’s cell phones, both her city-issued and personal devices.

St. Paul’s human resources department budgets funds for investigations, and the city has a budget line for lawsuit liability — though recent multi-million-dollar settlements with victims of violence have strained the fund.

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(Jeff Day, Sarah Ritter and Liz Sawyer of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.)

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