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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (CN) – Mayor Mark Funkhouser will pay $30,000 to settle a lawsuit from a former aide – but may have opened himself up to a new one in the process. Ruth Bates, who will get a new job with the city as part of the settlement, claimed Funkhouser and his wife created a hostile work environment. In announcing the settlement, Funkhouser questioned Bates’ motives – a move that rankled the former aide’s attorney. “We intend to bring another action because of his comments,” attorney Lynne Bratcher told The Associated Press. Funkhouser insists that he and his wife are the victims of Bates’ failed attempt to borrow $5,000. “We did not lend her the money,” Funkhouser said in a news release. “A couple of months later, Ms. Bates filed her baseless lawsuit against my wife and me. The timing of these events is a remarkable coincidence.”
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