(WXYZ) Get background information and the latest updates in a Timeline of the Mayor's scandal. The Timeline includes the most recent events and dates back to the Fall of 2002, when rumors began swirling of a rumored party at the Manoogian Mansion.
Sept. 19, 2008: Detroit City Council President Ken Cockrel, Jr. becomes Mayor.
Sept. 18, 2008: Kwame Kilpatrick’s last day as mayor.
Sept. 4, 2008: Detroit Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings announces her retirement.
Sept. 4, 2008: Kilpatrick pleads guilty in his perjury case to two felonies and admits in court, “I lied under oath.” He also pleads no contest to one felony in his assault case. His plea agreements include resigning from office, 120 days in jail, paying $1 million in restitution, five years probation, and not running for office during his five years of probation. Kilpatrick also delivers a televised farewell in which he takes shots at Governor Jennifer Granholm, calling her removal hearings politically motivated. He also vowed that he would be back. “You done set me up for a comeback,” Kilaptrick said.
Sept. 3, 2008: Governor Jennifer Granholm begins removal hearing of Kilpatrick.
Aug. 26, 2008: Governor Jennifer Granholm issues order stating that hearings to remove Kilpatrick from office will go forward. The first hearing is scheduled for Sept. 3, at 9:00 AM.
Aug. 22, 2008: Kilpatrick plead not guilty to assault and obstruction of justice charges at Wayne County Circuit Court. Special Assistant Attorney General Doug Baker made a surprise plea offer, asking Kilpatrick to resign as mayor by Sept. 3 in exchange for dropping one of the felony charges. The mayor rejected the offer.
Aug. 18, 2008: Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Robert Ziolkowski rules that the Detroit City Council does not have the authority to remove Kilpatrick through a process called forfeiture.
Aug. 14, 2008: Kilpatrick and his former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty plead not guilty at their arraignment on several felonies before Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Leonard Townsend
. Townsend rules Kilpatrick does not have to wear a tether and may travel to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Beatty’s attorney says she will testify against the mayor if the prosecutor’s office grants her immunity. Granholm's legal team says she has no authority to pardon Kilpatrick because he hasn't been convicted of a crime.
Aug. 13, 2008: The Michigan Chronicle calls for Kilpatrick’s resignation. U.S. Congressman John Dingell says Kilpatrick should resign.
Aug. 12, 2008: Judge Ronald Giles rules Kilpatrick didn't violate bond conditions in the assault case when he visited his sister. This same day, Council of Baptist Pastors in Detroit asks Kilpatrick to “consider” resigning.
Aug. 11, 2008: Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox's office files a motion saying Kilpatrick violated his bond in the assault case by having contact Aug. 9 with his sister, Ayanna Kilpatrick, a witness in the assault case brought by the attorney general.
Aug. 8, 2008: Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Jackson orders Kilpatrick released from jail but sets a $50,000 cash bond and orders the mayor to wear an electronic tether, limiting his travel to the tri-county area. This same day, Michigan Sate Attorney General Mike Cox charges Kilpatrick with assault and obstruction of justice for allegedly berating two court officers and shoving one of them when trying to serve a subpoena on the mayor’s friend.
Aug. 7, 2008: Judge Giles orders Kilpatrick to jail for violating the terms of his bond by traveling to Windsor.
Aug. 6, 2008: Granholm says she personally will preside over the state's removal hearing, scheduled for Sept. 3.
July 25, 2008: Giles chastises Kilpatrick for an incident with investigators trying to serve a subpoena on his friend and orders the mayor to pay $7,500 and undergo random drug testing.
July 24, 2008: Kilpatrick allegedly cursed at two court officers and shoved one of them when they tried to serve a subpoena on a friend of the mayor. State police investigate to see if assault charges should be filed.
July 23, 2008: Kilpatrick travels to Canada for an alleged emergency meeting with Windsor city officials. He did so without notifying prosecutors or the court, which is a condition of his bond.
July 22, 2008: Worthy modifies two charges against the mayor to add that Kilpatrick sent and received "intimate or romantic" text messages with women other than his wife or Beatty.
July 17, 2008: Judge Robert Colombo rules that two Free Press reporters do not have to reveal how they obtained sexually explicit text messages published by the newspaper in January.
July 14, 2008: Detroit 36th District Court Judge Ronald Giles declines to release a number text messages that have not been published in the past and are sought by the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
May 16, 2008: Chairman and Chief Executive of Compuware Peter Karmanos says, the mayor should not resign from office “because he’s the best we have.”
May 13, 2008: The Detroit City Council votes 5-4 to begin a process called forfeiture to remove Kilpatrick from office. They also vote 5-4 to approve asking Gov. Jennifer Granholm to remove Kilpatrick from office.
April 25, 2008: Detroit businessman and former Piston’s star Dave Bing says mayor should resign.
April 1, 2008: After accusations of a conflict of interest, attorney Mayer Morganroth withdraws as Kilpatrick’s lawyer in the lawsuit against him, Beatty and the city on behalf of the family of murdered stripper Tamara Greene. Morganroth also represents Beatty in the perjury case in which she and Kilpatrick are co-defendants.
March 24, 2008: Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy charges Kilpatrick and Beatty with several felonies, including perjury and obstruction of justice.
March 21, 2008: Colombo rules some text messages that indicate a romantic relationship between Kilpatrick and Beatty may be made public.
March 18, 2008: The City Council votes 7-1 on a nonbinding resolution asking the mayor to resign.
March 13, 2008: Cox says his office will look into new claims concerning the rumored Manoogian Mansion party.
March 12, 2008: Cox calls on Kilpatrick to resign, accusing him of race-baiting during the State of the City address.
March 11, 2008: Kilpatrick gives his annual State of City address in which he uses the N-word to describe threats he and his family have received. He also calls those who oppose him and the media of having a "lynch mob mentality."
Feb. 27, 2008: The Michigan Supreme Court will not hear appeal and the records are released.
Feb. 19, 2008: The Detroit City Council asks the state Supreme Court to deny Kilpatrick's request to keep records from being released.
Feb. 15, 2008: Kilpatrick's attorneys appeal the Court of Appeals ruling to the state Supreme Court.
Feb. 13, 2008: The Michigan Court of Appeals upholds Colombo's ruling.
Feb. 8, 2008: Beatty's last day as Kilpatrick’s chief of staff.
Feb. 5, 2008: Colombo orders the release of records that detail the secret settlement agreement from the whistle-blowers' lawsuit. But city appeals.
Jan. 30, 2008: Kilpatrick publicly apologizes on TV about the text-messaging sex scandal from his church with his wife, Carlita, at his side.
Jan. 28, 2008: Beatty issues written statement: "I painfully regret the devastation that the recent reports have caused to the citizens of Detroit, to my coworkers, to the mayor's family and to my family and friends." She says she will resign and her final day will be Feb. 8.
Jan. 25, 2008: At a hearing before Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Robert Colombo Jr. on the Free Press lawsuit city attorney Colbert-Osamuede tells the judge she is unaware of any secret agreement in the whistle blower settlement. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announces that her office is investigating whether Kilpatrick and Beatty perjured themselves at the whistle-blower trial.
Jan. 23, 2008: The Free Press publishes its first stories on text messages that show Kilpatrick and Beatty had a sexual and intimate relationship and that they lied under oath about it. The stories also show that they lied under oath when they said they did not fired Gary Brown. It is unclear how the newspaper obtained the text messages.
Jan. 3, 2008: The Free Press sues the city seeking documents in the whistle blower lawsuit and seeks text messages from SkyTel through a subpoena.
Dec. 7, 2007: The City of Detroit provided the Free Press with only the Nov. 1 settlement agreement for the Brown and Nelthrope case and one for the Harris case. The city did not provide the Free Press the confidentiality agreements.
Nov. 13, 2007: The Free Press files a second Freedom of Information Act request for all records regarding the settlement of both Brown and Nelthrope’s case and Walt Harris’ lawsuit.
Nov. 1, 2007: Kilpatrick approves a new settlement agreement that includes only the monetary terms of the settlement of the October 17 agreement. A separate confidentiality agreement was also signed mentioning the text messages, but it was never brought before City Council.
Oct. 29, 2007: The City of Detroit responds to the Free Press’s FOIA request stating that “there is no settlement agreement as parties are working out the details of the agreement.”
Oct. 27, 2007: Kilpatrick rejects the terms proposed in the Oct. 17 settlement agreement.
Oct. 23, 2007: Detroit City Council approves the settlement agreement.
Oct. 19, 2007: Detroit Free Press files the Freedom of Information Act request for the settlement agreement and all related records.
Oct. 17, 2007: Kilpatrick settles the case with Brown and Nelthrope for $8.4 million. The agreement includes a reference to the text messages and that they will be concealed. He also settles Detroit police officer Walt Harris’ case for $400,000. Harris filed a separate whistle-blower against the city. The settlement agreement is signed by city lawyer Valerie Colbert-Osamuede and others
Oct. 5, 2007: Stefani gets the text messages from SkyTel.
Sept. 28, 2007: Michael Stefani, attorney for Brown and Nelthrope, subpoenas SkyTel for text messages transmitted on Beatty's city-issued pager.
Sept. 11, 2007: A jury awards Brown and Nelthrope $6.5 million. Kilpatrick vows to appeal. U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick says, “We will appeal no matter how much it costs the city.”
Aug. 29, 2007: Kilpatrick testified in the same trial that he did not have a romantic relationship with Beatty.
Aug. 28, 2007: Christine Beatty testified at the whistle blower trial brought by Brown and Nelthrope that she did not have a romantic relationship with the mayor.
Aug. 21, 2007: The whistle-blower trial of Brown and Nelthrope begins at Wayne County Circuit Court.
Nov. 7, 2005: Attorney Norman Yatooma files a lawsuit on behalf of Tamara Greene’s family against the City of Detroit, Kilpatrick, Beatty and others. The lawsuit asserts that the investigation into her death has been purposely derailed.
June 24, 2003: After his own investigation, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox clears Kilpatrick of the rumored Manoogian party, saying it has “the earmarks of an urban legend, and should be treated as such.” In his investigation, Cox never interviewed Carlita, and had a private, unrecorded meeting with the mayor, who was not under oath when questioned by Cox.
June 8, 2003: Former Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown and Detroit Police officer Harold Nelthrope sue the City of Detroit, Kilpatrick, Beatty and others for firing Brown and forcing Nelthrope out of his position.
May 9, 2003: Kilpatrick fires Detroit Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown for conducting unauthorized investigations related to the rumored party.
April 30, 2003: Stripper Tamara Greene is shot to death.
Fall 2002: A rumored wild party allegedly takes place at the Manoogian Mansion. Stripper Tamara Greene supposedly danced at the party and Carlita Kilpatrick allegedly assaulted Greene.
