The Walz administration reached a settlement with a left-wing group over a trans inmate lawsuit, resulting in a financial burden of nearly $500K on Minnesota taxpayers.

A watchdog report has found that Gov. Tim Walz's administration paid nearly $500,000 in taxpayer money through a "sue and settlement" scheme with a left-wing interest group representing a transgender prison inmate.

In the year following a sex discrimination complaint filed by Gender Justice against the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC), Walz's office allocated nearly $200,000 to the progressive legal nonprofit focused on "gender equity," as revealed by public records reviewed by OpenTheBooks.com and first shared with the New York Post.

The allegation claimed that the DOC treated a biological male inmate named Christina Lusk unfairly by not assigning her to a women's prison and refusing to grant her requests for gender reassignment surgery.

In December 2018, Lusk was arrested and charged with possession of meth. She was sentenced to a five-year term. Prior to her arrest, Lusk underwent hormone therapy and sought "bottom surgery" to remove her male genitalia.

On Jan. 31, Lusk was released from state custody and put under supervision. The settlement in this case saw a total of $495,000 distributed among three parties. Lusk received $245,903.72, Gender Justice was given $198,000, and Robins Kaplan LLP received $51,096.28 for legal fees.

In 2023, Gender Justice received $448,904 in funding from the DOC and the Minnesota Department of Education, according to OpenTheBooks records, though more information about the latter amount is not available.

The update in policy that avoided the legislative process was agreed upon by Minnesota's DOC to adopt World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care for treating inmates with gender dysphoria on the taxpayer dime.

The law firm Robins Kaplan LLP donated over $22,000 to Walz's gubernatorial campaign, with contributions from Chair Emeritus Elliott S. Kaplan. Additionally, a member from the Minnesota Department of Health, part of the Walz administration, serves on Gender Justice's board.

When the deal was first announced, this story caused a stir. However, by examining the financial aspects, taxpayers can gain a clearer understanding of the settlement and its consequences. As Christopher Neefus of OpenTheBooks told Planet Chronicle Digital, "Taxpayers are accustomed to covering the costs, but this deal also meant that Minnesota would alter its policies regarding transgender inmates."

"That sidestepped the public input that comes with a legislative debate."

The issue of transgender procedures and accommodation in prisons, funded by taxpayers, has gained attention in liberal-run states and cities. Colorado was the first state in the country to implement segregated holding cells for transgender women earlier this year.

In 2019, a class-action lawsuit was filed by transgender inmates against the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) alleging discrimination, harassment, and assault. As a result, a judge signed off on a consent decree that would bring additional changes, including surgical sex changes and hormone treatment, to the state's penitentiary.

Court documents obtained by Planet Chronicle Digital reveal that several plaintiffs who sought judicial approval of the consent decree are serving life without parole for homicide and assault.

In June, the Biden administration's health officials urged WPATH to remove the age limit from its guidelines for transgender surgical procedures for adolescents, and they were successful, as revealed in unsealed court documents.