Kline
TOPEKA, Kan. (Legal Newsline) - The state of Kansas has agreed to shell out more than $300,000 to settle a lawsuit against embattled former Attorney General Phill Kline.
According to the Kansas City Star, Gov. Sam Brownback and other state officials approved the $350,000 settlement Wednesday.
The newspaper said the money will go to a former senior prosecutor in Johnson County.
The prosecutor, Jacquie Spradling, was dismissed in 2007 by Kline, who was the county's district attorney at the time. Kline said he fired the woman for insubordination.
However, Spradling filed a lawsuit alleging Kline got rid of her only after she complained of sexual discrimination by him.
Kline is already in hot water with the State.
In October, a panel for the Kansas Board for Discipline of Attorneys recommended he should have his state law license suspended indefinitely.
The three-member panel pointed to his actions during investigations of abortion providers.
Kline alleged illegal late-term abortions were being done at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Overland Park and at an abortion provider in Wichita. He also alleged failure to report abuse at the two clinics.
However, the panel said Kline misled other officials to further investigations of the abortion providers.
It said the former attorney general was "motivated by dishonesty and selfishness."
The panel said Kline also made false statements to the office investigating claims against him and mislead the panel itself.
The Kansas Supreme Court must now decide whether Kline will face sanctions.
Kline served as attorney general from 2003 to 2007 and served as Johnson County District Attorney from 2007 to 2009. He is now a visiting assistant law professor at Liberty University in Virginia.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by email at jessica@legalnewsline.com.