Fort Worth officials plan to discuss a potential settlement with former police Chief Joel Fitzgerald during an executive session with the city council next month, according to a statement Monday from the city.

Fitzgerald, who was police chief from 2015 to 2019, is suing the city, saying it fired him because of his efforts to expose corruption.

In the legal battle following the chief’s termination in 2019, the city has approved spending more than a million dollars to fight the lawsuit, most recently with an additional $1.1 million approved by the city council in April, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. The approval came after a Dallas County judge postponed Fitzgerald’s court date to October. The decision raised the total amount the city could spend to $2 million, according to the Star-Telegram.

Fitzgerald sued the city in June 2019, seeking more than $1 million in damages. The lawsuit claims that the city violated the Texas Whistleblower Act when they fired Fitzgerald for reporting the city to the FBI.

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Fitzgerald’s filing says the basis of his termination was unfounded. The city appealed the case to the Texas Supreme Court, but the petition was denied, court records show.

Fitzgerald had been investigating violations of federal regulations regarding the FBI’s criminal justice information system for months,...

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