The St. Paul City Council on Wednesday signed off on a $76,000 settlement payment to a former policy associate for Mayor Melvin Carter who said she faced discrimination for a physical disability.
Hope Hoffman, who has spina bifida and has worn a prosthetic on her right leg since it was amputated in 2018, alleged that the city ignored her physical limitations and requests for accommodations.
Hoffman, who worked for Carter's office from June to October of 2019, testified in a 2020 state Senate Human Services Reform Committee hearing that her supervisors made her attend events with the mayor "that had absolutely no parking and enough walking that almost made me pass out."
When she later asked her manager to let her know if events had limited parking or required significant walking, Hoffman said she was told to "Google Earth it and find out myself." Hoffman's relationship with her manager worsened and she continued to receive work that pushed her physical limits, she said.
In early 2020, shortly after resigning from her job in Carter's office, Hoffman filed a disability complaint with the state Department of Human Rights. She later withdrew that complaint and served the city with a lawsuit.
The settlement, which was approved by a 5-0 council vote, says Hoffman will dismiss her lawsuit and agree not to file any related complaints against the city in the future. Under the agreement, the city makes no admission of wrongdoing.
St. Paul will pay Hoffman $22,675 for claimed wage loss, $22,765 for emotional distress and $30,470 for attorney's fees. The city will also cover mediator's fees.
"I wasn't treated like an equal person in the mayor's office because I'm not treated as an equal person in our world," Hoffman said in a statement Wednesday. "My circumstances are not unique to the city of St. Paul, these issues are far greater than the city of St. Paul and my fight doesn't end here. The reality is disability justice has a long way to go."
In response to Hoffman's initial complaint, Carter's spokesman said in 2020 that the city had provided support arrangements, including a special parking space at City Hall and an easier-to-carry tablet computer that allowed her to work at home occasionally.
In a statement Wednesday, St. Paul Communications Director Peter Leggett said: "We remain disheartened that our efforts to ensure Ms. Hoffman's success were not enough to make her feel supported during her time with the city, and amid our ongoing work to sustain our diverse and inclusive working environment, remain committed to learning from and preventing this experience from recurring in the future."
Hoffman said she filed a workplace complaint against her manager while employed by the city and was asked to put in a formal request for accommodations.
The city later looked into Hoffman's complaint, launching an investigation that has since been closed without any disciplinary action, Leggett said. Hoffman's former manager stopped working for the city in January.
Katie Galioto • 612-673-4478