Former city official receives settlement after claims of mistreatment and demotion.
A former Kansas City assistant city manager has settled a legal dispute with the city for $900,000. The agreement comes after months of back-and-forth surrounding her role in a broader conflict involving leadership at City Hall. The settlement follows her involvement as a witness in another high-profile case that already cost the city $1.4 million in damages and legal fees. That earlier case involved a former city communications director who said he was pushed out after refusing to stretch the truth in public messaging. Now, another piece of the fallout has come to an end with this newest payment.
The former Kansas City manager, Kerrie Tyndall, played a key role in the trial earlier this year by providing testimony that supported claims made by Chris Hernandez, the former communications director. She described an internal culture where style and spin were placed above transparency. In her testimony, she recalled a chart hung in a senior official’s office with the words “PR, NOT Public Information.” She took a picture of it the same day Hernandez was reportedly told he would no longer lead the communications team. That visual, and her interpretation of it, became a point of interest during the trial.
Hernandez was awarded $930,000 by a jury after arguing that he was demoted in 2022 for refusing to present misleading information about the city’s performance. Rather than continue to debate the legal costs related to attorney fees, the city agreed to settle for $1.4 million in total to avoid further litigation. That decision raised eyebrows, especially as more legal challenges linked to the same leadership circle came to light.
Tyndall filed her own lawsuit in 2023, claiming that her career was derailed after she gave advice that didn’t align with the views of former City Manager Brian Platt. She said she was excluded from major meetings, had her responsibilities reassigned to others, and was ultimately moved to a lower-level role in a different department. According to her suit, her transfer to the aviation department was not just a change in title but a message that her role in decision-making was no longer wanted. She resigned a month later.
The City Council has not offered public comments on the settlement. The payout is the second major one this year involving former city leaders who say they were pushed aside unfairly. With at least one more case still pending, costs tied to these disputes are expected to rise further. City Manager Brian Platt was let go in March following the jury verdict in the Hernandez case. His top aide, who was involved in oversight of the communications office, was recently removed by the new city manager.
After stepping away from city government, the Kansas City manager has since taken on a new leadership role in the business community. She now serves as executive director of the Westport Regional Business League. Her shift to the private sector closes one chapter but follows a stretch of turmoil inside City Hall that left several top officials displaced and millions paid out in legal settlements.
As more facts come out, the situation raises broader questions about leadership, accountability, and what happens behind the scenes when city politics turn personal. For now, the lawsuit is resolved, but the events leading up to it remain a reminder of how internal decisions can have lasting public costs.
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