DURHAM -- Tension flared during Thursday’s Durham City Council work session. Things got heated when Mayor Bill Bell responded to criticism from Councilman Thomas Stith, who is running against Bell for mayor.

Earlier this week, Stith told reporters that the incumbent pressured the police department into moving quickly on the Duke lacrosse case.

"At no time did I advise the police as to how they should conduct their investigation of the lacrosse case," Bell said emphatically.

Bell admitted Thursday that he asked the Durham Police Department for a timeline on the case; he said he did it to make sure the department had interviewed lacrosse players as part of its investigation.

"With that question answered, I simply no longer needed to see the timeline," Bell recalled.

The timeline in question was made public. The document shows Bell and other city leaders met with investigators early on in the case. Stith says the meeting calls into question Bell's influence on the case.

“He still has not given a firm answer on whether he requested that they move forward in an expeditious manner,” Stith said, “so I guess we have a fourth version of the story."

Bell denies telling the police how to run the investigation. “We never discussed line-ups or photo identification or any police tactic. It is simply wrong to imply otherwise."

A short time later, council went into closed session to discuss a potential lawsuit facing the city. Lawyers for the three falsely accused players have threatened to sue if the city does not settle. Reports show the players are asking for $10 million each.

No word yet on how the city will proceed, but Bell has said he hopes the independent panel appointed to examine the police department's handling of the case can continue once all pending legal matters are resolved.