Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Legal Litigation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Minneapolis committee orders monthly updates on DOJ litigation; approves $450,000 settlement payment in Pro Life Action case
Summary
The Committee of the Whole added a walk-on requiring monthly reports on Department of Justice litigation and, after closed session, approved a $450,000 attorney-fee settlement in Pro Life Action Ministries v. City of Minneapolis.
The Minneapolis Committee of the Whole on March 13 added a walk-on legislative directive requiring monthly updates on Department of Justice litigation involving the city and, after a closed-session briefing, approved a $450,000 payment to plaintiffs' attorneys in Pro Life Action Ministries v. City of Minneapolis.
The move to require monthly updates was introduced by Council Member Wansley as an amendment to a previously passed legislative directive. Wansley said the change replaces quarterly reports with a monthly cadence so "we're requesting monthly updates, on the DOJ, proceedings, specifically litigation tied to that." The committee voted to add the walk-on to the meeting agenda and later approved the amended directive by voice vote.
City Attorney Anderson told the committee the meeting would move to closed session under Minnesota Statute section 13D.05, subdivision 3(b) so council members could receive attorney-client briefings on three litigation matters: United States Department of Justice v. City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department (U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota); Pro Life Action Ministries v. City of Minneapolis (U.S. District Court, case no. 23-cv-853); and City & County of San Francisco et al. v. Trump et al. (Northern District of California). The council then convened in closed session.
After the closed session, the clerk reported that for two of the matters—DOJ v. City of Minneapolis and City & County of San Francisco v. Trump—"there were no actions taken and no matters to be reported out of this session."
Vice President Chuck Tay then moved to settle "all claims for attorney's fees and costs except those addressed in the court clerk's 02/12/2025 judgment" in Pro Life Action Ministries v. City of Minneapolis by paying $450,000 to the plaintiffs' attorneys, the Thomas More Society, from Fund Org number 069001500100145240. The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.
The committee subsequently approved the legislative directive requiring more frequent reporting on settlement-agreement matters. Earlier in the meeting the committee also approved a consent item to appoint five members to the Capital Long Wage Improvement Committee.
No additional details about the content of the closed-session briefings, the terms of the Pro Life Action settlement beyond the attorney-fee payment, or roll-call vote tallies were recorded in the public transcript.
The amended reporting directive requires City staff to provide monthly updates on DOJ-related litigation and settlement matters; the committee did not specify a start date or format for those monthly reports during the public session.
