KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Mayor Mark Funkhouser said his wife once said the word "mammy" to a black woman on his staff, but that she did it as a term of endearment.

Funkhouser's admission was part of a 214-page transcription of his deposition, which was taken on Nov. 19. The mayor testified for seven hours about the case.

The deposition is connected to the so-called Mammygate lawsuit. A former mayoral aide, Ruth Bates, is suing Funkhouser, his wife, Gloria Squitiro, and the city. Bates is claiming racial and sexual harassment.

Funkhouser said he never heard the word mammy being used, but he said Squitiro told him she said it only once to Bates.

"(Squitiro) said, 'Yes, Ma'am E,' as in, 'Yes, Funk E,' 'Ruth E,'" Funkhouser said in the deposition.

"I know that (Bates) heard those syllables and vowels. I also know that she knows it was never intended as a racial slur," Funkhouser said. "If it was said in a way that was offensive, then the person -- who is offended (should) say, 'I'm sorry, that's inappropriate. I don't like it when you say that. That's offensive.'"

The mayor said the offending party should apologize and promise not to do it again.

Also in the deposition, Funkhouser said that he is one of the victims in the lawsuit.

"I feel like I have had my name drug through the mud over something that did not occur," Funkhouser said. "We have been accused of racism, when it's not true."

Funkhouser said his wife did use sexual innuendos, which is another claim in the Bates lawsuit, but he said Squitiro uses them rarely.

Funkhouser said Squitiro was just "kidding around with Ruth, as her and Ruth had done for years."

Also on Monday, viewers of ABC's "Good Morning America" program saw a report on the Mammygate controversy. During a live interview, Squitiro said it's in her nature to be very expressive and that some Kansas City residents may not be comfortable with that because they're more reserved than she is.

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Read Funkhouser's Deposition (PDF)