Former Boston City Hall Staffer Sues City & Mayor, Says She Was Fired to Protect Top Official Segun Idowu ‘intraoffice philandering’
Written by b87fm on 09/21/2025
A former City Hall staffer is taking the City of Boston and Mayor Michelle Wu to court, claiming she was unfairly fired after speaking up about alleged misconduct inside the administration.
Marwa Khudaynazar, who served as chief of staff at the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency, says her career — and her reputation — were destroyed after she revealed “sexual improprieties” involving one of Mayor Wu’s top cabinet members.
Khudaynazar and her boyfriend, Chulan Huang, were both arrested in May 2024 after an alleged domestic dispute in Chinatown. At the time, both were city employees. The city immediately put them on unpaid leave and later fired them.
But in her lawsuit, filed this week in Suffolk Superior Court, Khudaynazar says her firing had little to do with the incident — and everything to do with protecting Segun Idowu, Boston’s Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion. She claims the argument with Huang started after Idowu allegedly propositioned her at a Back Bay bar, kissing her and inviting her to a hotel room.
The lawsuit accuses the city of fast-tracking her suspension and termination without giving her the chance to explain her side, calling the process “a sham.” She is seeking nearly half a million dollars in damages for lost wages.
City officials have not commented on the lawsuit.
The complaint also argues that Khudaynazar’s firing was politically motivated and that Mayor Wu even used her influence to push her out of Emerge Massachusetts, a training program for Democratic women. Leaders at Emerge have denied that claim, saying Khudaynazar was invited to return to the program in the future.
“Idowu propositioning and/or having casual sex with younger office staff disrupts operations, not Khudaynazar telling police she works for the City.”
Khudaynazar also disputes the criminal charges against her, saying body camera footage will prove she never assaulted an officer during the May arrest.
At the center of her lawsuit is the allegation that the City wanted to bury any story about Idowu’s alleged behavior by making her the scapegoat.
“The City and Wu did not want this to see the light of day,” the lawsuit reads.
