CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - State Auditor Dave Boliek is investigating a settlement involving the husband of Charlotte’s new Police Chief Estella Patterson.

Lance Patterson, a former Charlotte firefighter, settled a seven-year discrimination lawsuit against the city just over a week before his wife was appointed CMPD chief in October.

Three sources in city government confirmed to WBTV that Patterson’s settlement totaled just under $100,000. Court records from 2022 show the city had previously agreed to pay $180,000 , but the case continued because of disagreements over retirement payouts and payroll calculations.

Lance Patterson and other firefighters sued the city in 2018, claiming the Charlotte Fire Department discriminated and retaliated against Black and female firefighters.

An atto

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