The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has agreed to pay nearly $500,000 to a senior employee who accused General Manager Phillip Eng of pulling her hair, in a settlement that also requires her resignation. The agreement draws fresh scrutiny to one of Governor Maura Healey’s top appointees and raises questions that civil rights advocates say extend beyond a single workplace incident.
According to the Boston Herald, the separation agreement provides a $495,000 payment to Gabrielle Mondestin, the MBTA’s chief communications officer, in exchange for releasing all existing claims against the agency, including any potential litigation. The MBTA did not make Mondestin’s identity public until Friday, when it released the agreement.
The settlement centers on a November 2024 incident at a restaurant where transit employees and their spouses had gathered for a team dinner. Mondestin accused Eng of pulling her hair during the event—an accusation that surfaced this past June publicly and has shadowed the transportation official since.
The payout structure reflects the departing official’s seniority. As the Boston Herald reported, Mondestin’s settlement includes a $240,000 one-time supplemental wage payment—comparable to her annual salary of $262,650, according to payroll records—while the remaining $255,000 will go to her attorney. Her last day of employment is set for September 18, and she has agreed to stay through that date to assist with the transition.
Mondestin joined the MBTA as chief communications officer in 2023. In its release, the agency praised her leadership and her efforts to advance transparent public communication.
In a joint statement issued alongside the agreement, Eng expressed regret without admitting to the accusation.
“I regret my actions, have learned from this experience, and appreciate Ms. Mondestin’s focus on assuring that the MBTA learns from it as well,” he said, as reported by the Boston Herald.
Eng had issued an earlier apology in June for what he called his “mistake.” At the time, the MBTA characterized the episode as an “insensitive interaction” that occurred amid a broader conversation about hair earlier that evening involving multiple people. The agency’s spokesperson, Joe Pesaturo, said in June that any claims of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation were without merit, and that Eng had been poking fun at his own baldness when the interaction occurred.
Mondestin, for her part, framed her departure with measured gratitude. “While some of my experiences have been difficult, I am tremendously grateful for the opportunity to have served the people of Massachusetts,” she said in remarks reported by the Boston Herald. She added that she appreciated the agency’s recommitment to “listening to its employees and working to create a fair and respectful work environment for all.”
The Boston Herald noted a dimension of the case that resonates well beyond the MBTA: Mondestin is a Black woman, and workplace discrimination involving Black hair is recognized as a civil rights issue tied to race. In recent years, states across the country, including Massachusetts, have enacted protections against hair-based discrimination through CROWN Act legislation, reflecting a growing legal recognition that policing or targeting Black hair can constitute racial discrimination.
The incident’s framing has been contested from the start. WCVB-TV reported in June that Mondestin, then identified only as an MBTA employee, had described the interaction with Eng as unwelcome and highly inappropriate—an account that stands in tension with the agency’s characterization of the episode as lighthearted.
The settlement places renewed attention on Eng, who serves as the state’s top transportation official. Governor Healey appointed him general manager of the MBTA in 2023 and interim transportation secretary in late 2025. According to the Boston Herald, Eng was paid $509,114 last year, including a $30,000 annual retention payment he is eligible for under his contract.
For an administration that has positioned itself as a defender of fair treatment and inclusive workplaces, the case presents a delicate moment. The MBTA said the incident prompted it to reaffirm its commitment to an inclusive workplace where all employees are treated fairly and with respect, and it encouraged staff to continue raising concerns about workplace culture.
https://ctninfo.com/mbta-pays-495000…hief-phillip-eng/
MBTA to pay $495,000 to employee who accused GM Phillip Eng of pulling her hair
