Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Judge drops assault charge against former City Hall staffer
A domestic incident involving two city workers led to their firings and allegations against a top City Hall official.
A judge dropped a domestic violence charge against Chulan Huang, a Boston City Hall staffer who was fired last year after a domestic incident involving his then-girlfriend, another city employee at the time.
The sequence of events that led to the confrontation between the couple allegedly involved a notable member of Mayor Michelle Wu’s leadership team.
Huang was a neighborhood liaison in the Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion until his termination last year. He was charged with assault and battery on a family or household member in Boston Municipal Court last May.
Police were called to a Chinatown apartment to respond to an incident involving Huang and his then-girlfriend, Marwa Khudaynazar. She worked as the chief of staff at the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency at the time. Huang told police that a physical altercation between the two of them occurred after Khudaynazar went on a date with his “boss,” according to a police report.
Advertisement:
The “boss” in question was apparently Segun Idowu, the city’s chief of economic opportunity and inclusion. Idowu recently announced that he is stepping down from his role at the end of February in order to care for his aging grandmother. An external investigation that occurred after the incident found that Idowu did not violate any city policies.
The charge against Huang was dropped on Jan. 29. This occurred because the victim, Khudaynazar, did not appear in court to testify, according to a spokesperson for Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office.
Huang’s attorney, Albert Moscone, told Boston.com this week that Huang was pleased with the results and that they show that the legal process “worked.” Huang’s case was the subject of “prosecutorial scrutiny” for eight months, he said. It was thoroughly investigated and there were numerous hearings about the case, he added.
Advertisement:
“Ultimately, we were able to obtain dismissal because my client didn’t commit a crime,” Moscone said. “My client looks forward to moving on from this ordeal.”
Huang released a lengthy statement to GBH, saying he “was made to absorb the consequences of someone else’s misconduct” and did nothing wrong.
“This situation stemmed from a clear abuse of power by an individual who not only held an a leadership role within my office, but a leadership role within the entire city of Boston itself; someone who was entrusted with public responsibility, chose to disregard basic professional and moral ethics to pursue my girlfriend, crossing lines that should never be crossed,” he said in the statement.
Huang is “evaluating legal options,” he added.
Khudaynazar has publicly claimed that she was fired in order to protect Idowu. She is suing the city, alleging that the Wu administration fired her to keep Idowu’s “intraoffice philandering” quiet.
According to Khudaynazar’s complaint, she ran into Idowu at a bar and he “made sexual advances” toward her. Idowu booked a room at the Boston Park Plaza hotel and invited her to join him there, but she declined. Idowu then walked her to her car and kissed her, before she drove him to the hotel and left him there, according to the complaint.
Advertisement:
She proceeded to Huang’s apartment and told him what happened, leading to the altercation and arrests.
On Monday, a federal judge largely ruled against Khudaynazar, granting motions to dismiss claims made against the arresting officer, Wu, and the city. The judge allowed a First Amendment retaliation claim made by Khudaynazar against the city to proceed. The dismissal of Khudaynazar’s claims was made without prejudice, meaning that she can file an amended complaint within 14 days.
Khudaynazar still faces charges of assault and battery on a police officer in Boston Municipal Court. Her case is set to go to trial next month, according to court documents.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com