Widow of slain officer settles whistleblower lawsuit

Widow Michelle Patrick speaks
Michelle Patrick, pictured here on Feb. 2, 2015.
Jeff Wheeler | The Star Tribune via AP file

A whistleblower lawsuit filed by a Mendota Heights police officer who was later killed during a traffic stop will not go to trial.

The wife of Officer Scott Patrick has reached a settlement with the city. Michelle Patrick and her attorneys will receive a total of $50,000. As part of the agreement, the city of Mendota Heights denies any wrongdoing.

Her attorney, Matthew Morgan, says Michelle Patrick thinks the terms of the deal were appropriate.

"Therefore it made sense for her to say, 'You know what? This chapter of my life can now be closed. I continued what Scott started, and I think he would have wanted me to do that, and I was able to accomplish that, and reach a resolution that I'm comfortable with,'" Morgan said.

The city and Michelle Patrick are committed to working together on future efforts to commemorate her husband, said Jana O'Leary Sullivan, an attorney for the League of Minnesota Cities, who is representing the city of Mendota Heights. Patrick will join a memorial committee.

Officer Scott Patrick was fatally shot during a traffic stop last year, just months after he filed a lawsuit against the city. He accused the police chief and others of harassing him after he reported the theft of a picnic table, allegedly by two patrol officers.

A trial had been scheduled for next July.

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