Ebony Huntley, former chief investigator at the New York City Department of Probation, has filed a lawsuit claiming she was fired after calling out an alleged romantic relationship between the agency’s newly installed commissioner and a senior aide. Huntley says she was making about $170,000 a year in the role and argues in court papers that the city now owes her roughly $200,000 in unpaid pay after her abrupt dismissal, which she says came one day after she contacted the city’s Department of Investigation.
The suit, filed April 9, 2026, accuses Commissioner Sharun Goodwin of bringing back aide Wayne McKenzie despite what the complaint describes as a prior intimate relationship. Huntley alleges she was punished for flagging the situation and is seeking back pay and damages. Those claims were laid out in reporting on the alleged tryst firing claim. Her lawsuit asks the court to award her roughly $200,000 in pay and damages and to rule that her termination violated the law.
Goodwin’s rise and department context
Sharun Goodwin was tapped by Mayor Zohran Mamdani in January to run the Department of Probation, an appointment announced by the Mayor’s Office. The city announcement highlights Goodwin’s decades-long career inside DOP, and reporting by City & State notes she came back to the agency after retiring in 2024. That long history with the department has turned this legal fight into a very inside-baseball drama for staff and for outside advocates who watch probation reform closely.
What the suit alleges about hiring and retaliation
According to the complaint, Huntley first raised concerns internally about McKenzie’s rehiring, then took those concerns to the Department of Investigation. She says she was fired the very next day, a timeline that features prominently in the New York Post’s coverage of the filing. If a court later accepts Huntley’s version of events, the lawsuit argues that the city could be on the hook for retaliation under civil employment and whistleblower protection laws.
Legal implications and next steps
The case is set to move through civil court, where attorneys for both sides will trade filings and the city will get its chance to formally respond to the allegations. Beyond the money at stake, the suit puts a spotlight on how the Department of Probation handles hiring and internal oversight and could trigger internal reviews or a closer look from the Department of Investigation as the litigation plays out.
