The Kilpatrick and Beatty text-messaging scandal was a political sex scandal in the United States emerging from a whistleblower lawsuit involving former Detroit Police chief Gary Brown, Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff and paramour Christine Beatty.
In 2003, a civil lawsuit was filed against Kilpatrick by ex-bodyguard Harold Nelthrope and former Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown, who claimed they were fired in retaliation for an internal-affairs investigation. Brown had led the investigation, and Nelthrope had told investigators about rumors of a party that occurred at the Mayor's mansion. [1] Both claimed that Kilpatrick was motivated, in part, by his concern that the probe would uncover his extramarital affairs. [2] The trial began in August 2007. Kilpatrick and his chief of staff, Christine Beatty, both testified under oath that they were not involved in an extramarital affair. [3] [4] In September 2007, after three hours of deliberation, the jury found in favor of Nelthrope and Brown, awarding $6.5 million in damages. After the verdict was read, Kilpatrick said that the racial composition of the jury—which was mostly white and suburban—had played a role in the outcome and vowed an appeal. [2]
In October, plaintiffs' attorney Mike Stefani received thousands of text messages he had been endeavoring to obtain via subpoena—the messages indicated an affair between Kilpatrick and Beatty. [5] [6] A day after he presented the files to the city's attorneys, Kilpatrick announced that he had agreed to settle the case, and the city counsel approved the $8.4 million deal, which included a proviso that Stefani would turn the files over to the mayor. [2] [7] [8] After the Detroit Free Press filed a Michigan Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the proviso was removed from the main settlement document and put into a confidential supplement. [2]
The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News filed a FOIA suit, seeking all settlement-related documents, [9] [10] and, in February 2008, the Michigan Supreme Court ordered the settlement documents be turned over to the plaintiffs. [11] The bulk of the text messages were released in late October 2008 by Circuit Court Judge Timothy Kenny, who instructed that some portions be redacted. [12]
Beatty resigned from her position as Kilpatrick's chief of staff. [13] The City Council requested that Kilpatrick resign as mayor and that Governor Granholm use her authority to remove him from office. [14] [15] Granholm said the inquiry was like a trial and that her role would be "functioning in a manner similar to that of a judicial officer." [14] Kilpatrick said he had paid back the $8.4 million through "hard work for the city" and dismissed any intentions of removing himself from office as "political rhetoric". [16] Kilpatrick and Beatty were ultimately charged with several criminal counts, including perjury, and, as part of a plea agreement, Kilpatrick resigned as mayor. [17]
I think it's absurd to assert that every woman that works with a man is a whore.
Click below to read text message exchanges between former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his chief of staff Christine Beatty. Circuit Court Judge Timothy Kenny instructed that some portions of the text messages be redacted. ... The Free Press also is reviewing the messages and is redacting selected explicit sexual terms. The messages do contain profanity and some sexual and racial references that may be offensive to some readers.
Kwame Malik Kilpatrick is a former American politician who served as the 72nd mayor of Detroit from 2002 to 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the 9th district in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1997 to 2002. Kilpatrick resigned as mayor in September 2008 after being convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to four months in jail and was released on probation after serving 99 days.
Carolyn Jean Cheeks Kilpatrick is a former American politician who was U.S. Representative for Michigan's 13th congressional district from 1997 to 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In August 2010 she lost the Democratic primary election to Hansen Clarke, who replaced her in January 2011 after winning the 2010 general election. Kilpatrick is also the mother of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
Michael Anthony Cox is an American attorney and politician who served as Michigan's 52nd Attorney General from 2003 to 2011. He was the first Republican to hold that office since Frank Millard in 1955. Cox took office in 2003 and won re-election in 2006. Jennifer Granholm, who went on to become the Governor of Michigan, preceded him in office.
Freman Hendrix is an American politician from the state of Michigan. A Democrat, Hendrix served as Deputy Mayor for former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer from 1997 to 2001. He ran twice, unsuccessfully, as a mayoral candidate in the city of Detroit: in 2005 against Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, and for the 2009 special election called to replace the ousted Kilpatrick.
Ella M. Bully-Cummings is an American police officer who served as the chief of the Detroit Police Department from 2003 to 2008.
The Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting is awarded to an example of "local reporting that illuminates significant issues or concerns." This Pulitzer Prize was first awarded in 1948. Like most Pulitzers the winner receives a $15,000 award.
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Christine Rowland Beatty served as the Chief of Staff from 2002 to 2008 to Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
Marsha G. Cheeks is a Detroit-born politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. She is a Democrat and member of the Michigan House of Representatives. She represents the 6th State House District, which includes most of Downtown Detroit. She is also the aunt of former Detroit mayor and convicted criminal Kwame Kilpatrick and sister of United States Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick.
On March 24, 2008, Wayne County, Michigan Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced a 12-count criminal indictment against Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his former Chief of Staff and paramour Christine Beatty. Kilpatrick was charged with eight felonies and Beatty with seven. Charges for both included perjury, misconduct in office and obstruction of justice. Worthy also suggested that others in the Kilpatrick administration could also be charged.
Monica Ann Conyers is an American politician in Detroit, Michigan. Elected to the Detroit City Council in 2005, she was elected by its members to serve as president pro tempore of the council for the four-year term.
Judge Ronald Giles is a Judge of Michigan's 36th District Court in Detroit, Michigan.
Kandia Milton is a Detroit politician, who served briefly as acting mayor of Detroit. He served previously as the mayor's chief of staff.
Kenneth Vern Cockrel Jr. is an American journalist, nonprofit executive, businessman, and former politician who served as the 73rd mayor of Detroit, Michigan from September 2008 to May 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Cockrel served as a member of the Detroit City Council from 1997 to 2008, and again from 2009 to 2013, and as the Council's president from 2005 to 2008 and May to December 2009.
Christine Beatty, Chief of Staff to Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
Michael L. Elrick is an American journalist based in Detroit, Michigan, where he has worked for the Detroit Free Press and for WJBK-TV.
Jim Schaefer is an American journalist based in Detroit, Michigan, where he works as an investigative journalist for the Detroit Free Press.
Sherry J. Gay-Dagnogo is a current Detroit School Board Member elected citywide, a former Democratic member of the Michigan House of Representatives, of which represented the 8th District 2015-2021. The 8th House District includes portions of Northwest Detroit, including the Bethune, Brightmoor, Castle Rouge, College Park, and Grandmont-Rosedale communities. In January 2020, Gay-Dagnogo announced that she was forming a political committee to explore the possibility of running for Mayor of Detroit in 2021.
The 2021 Detroit mayoral election occurred on November 2, 2021.
The 2001 Detroit mayoral election took place on November 7, 2001. It saw the election of Kwame Kilpatrick.