Former Raleigh police chief’s husband settles discrimination lawsuit with Charlotte, days before CMPD chief hire

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — One week before Charlotte’s new police chief Stella Patterson was introduced to the public, her husband, Lance Patterson, reached an undisclosed settlement with the city.

The settlement is tied to a lawsuit from 2018, when Lance, a Charlotte Fire Battalion Chief, and a colleague sued, claiming discrimination. Lance accused the department of passing him over for opportunities because of his race.

According to court documents, the two sides had attempted to settle as far back as 2022, but after three years, they could not agree on terms. In July 2025, a federal judge ordered the lawsuit to go to trial in December. That plan was then tossed out when the two sides came to an agreement last week.

In an interview with Queen City News on Wednesday, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said any questions should be directed to the city attorney. As a member of the city council, Lyles was not directly involved in the police chief’s hiring. She dismissed the suggestion that there was any connection between Stella’s selection and Lance’s settlement.

“I really don’t believe this was anything more than a household making a decision to come to a great city, both of them can probably be someplace that they want it to be, I mean, I know Stella could probably go other places and her husband could probably go other places, but they’re choosing us,” said Lyles.

Queen City News also received comments from both the city communication staff and the city attorney’s office.

“The lawsuit was nearly settled in 2022, and the legal process related to that took until July 2025 to be resolved and a court date established. The city has no control over the timing of the legal process, which can often include delays beyond the City’s control, but had the legal process been resolved sooner, it’s likely that the lawsuit would have been resolved some time ago. By the time the settlement documents were finalized, Chief Patterson was already one of the finalists for the Chief of Police position,” said a spokesperson.

In their statement, the City Attorney’s office said lawyers involved in negotiating the settlement were not made aware of Stella Patterson being a finalist for police chief.

“Due to the confidential nature of personnel matters, the City Attorney’s office routinely ensures a separation of representation of personnel matters, such as recruitments and general legal matters, including litigation. Here, outside counsel and the members of the City Attorney’s Office involved in the lawsuit negotiations were not aware that Chief Patterson was a finalist for Chief of Police.

It is not uncommon for parties to settle prior to a trial to avoid additional legal expenses incurred during the pre-trial and trial process. When determining whether to go to trial or seek a settlement, multiple factors are considered, including the financial costs of taking a case to trial vs the cost of a settlement. The City Attorney’s Office seeks to protect the city’s financial assets when making these decisions.”