Council settles suit for $8.4M

Quiet 8-1 vote approves payoff resolving police whistleblower complaints against Kilpatrick.

Christine MacDonald / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Two whistleblower lawsuits against Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, which had plagued his administration for years with salacious rumors of infidelity and misdeeds, ended Tuesday with a quick and quiet 8-1 vote by the Detroit City Council to approve an $8.4 million settlement.

But his moment in the spotlight may not be over for one of the ex-cops who filed one of the lawsuits. Former Deputy Chief Gary Brown, flush with his victory, said Tuesday he may run for political office.

Brown, a Detroit resident, said he is considering a campaign in November 2008 for Wayne County Sheriff -- the job held by Warren Evans, who plans to seek re-election. And Brown said he would be open to trying for a Detroit City Council seat in November 2009. In addition, he's looking at jobs with police departments.

Brown said he plans to take some time discussing options with his family. But he knows he wants to stay in public service.

"Ever since I got out of high school, I have been serving citizens," Brown said, interviewed in the lobby of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center minutes after the vote. "I am not ruling anything out."

Of the settlement, $8 million will go to Brown and ex-bodyguard Harold Nelthrope, who won their whistleblower case last month. Jurors awarded the pair $6.5 million, but with interest, it has grown to more than $8 million.

Ex-Detroit Police Officer Walter Harris would get $400,000 to settle his separate lawsuit alleging he was harassed for his knowledge of Kilpatrick's alleged extramarital affairs. Harris' case is pending, but he has agreed to the city's settlement offer, said Matt Allen, a Kilpatrick spokesman.

Nelthrope and Harris couldn't be reached for comment.

Kilpatrick had vowed until recently that he would appeal the Brown and Nelthrope ruling. The city's legal bills have reached more than $575,000 and are still climbing. But last week in a statement, the mayor said settling would be the best decision for his family and the city.

The lawsuits and their allegations dominated discussion on talk radio and at dinner tables for years. But the saga ended at Tuesday's council vote without a single comment from the nine-member council. Councilmember JoAnn Watson was the only no vote.

Council President Kenneth Cockrel Jr. said if the case continued, it would remain a distraction and a financial drain on the city. "I am glad to put this issue to bed," Cockrel said.

It will take 21 days for the city to process the settlement before the former officers will get the money, Allen said.

The settlement money will come from $52 million Detroit has set aside to pay its legal bills this year. The city is self-insured, meaning it is financially responsible for its own legal bills, rather than paying insurance premiums to a company that would shoulder the liability.

Jurors ruled Kilpatrick and the city violated the Whistleblowers Protection Act when he fired Brown as head of the Police Department's internal affairs division in 2003 and the city released an internal memo identifying Nelthrope as the cop who complained to internal affairs about alleged misbehavior by the mayor and his security detail.

Nelthrope, who had been a member of the mayor's security detail, contacted internal affairs about alleged infractions as well as a rumored wild party in 2002 at the Manoogian Mansion, the city-owned executive residence. That party was never substantiated.

"I am ecstatic this chapter of my life is coming to a close," said Brown. "I did everything I could, other than beg the city to settle the case early."

You can reach Christine MacDonald at (313) 222-2396 or cmacdonald@detnews.com.