A former JPMorgan Chase banker, Chirayu Rana, has filed a new lawsuit against the financial institution, shifting the focus from sensational personal allegations to claims of racial discrimination and a hostile work environment. The revised complaint, lodged in Manhattan Federal Court, still names former executive Lorna Hajdini but removes many of the more explosive accusations from his initial filing.
Rana's original lawsuit had included claims of being drugged and sexually assaulted by Hajdini, along with a disputed assertion that he took bereavement leave for his father's death. This new filing amends that detail, stating the leave was for his critically ill mother, after his father was found to be alive and well. It also drops specific inflammatory phrases previously included in the suit.
New Allegations of Racism
The updated lawsuit introduces three additional JPMorgan executives as defendants and centers on allegations of racism Rana claims to have experienced. According to the filing, colleagues on the Leveraged Finance team allegedly made racist remarks, referred to him as a "brown boy," joked about paying him in Rupees, and threatened to contact immigration authorities regarding his family. Text messages and screenshots included in the filing reportedly show colleagues taunting Rana about his Nepalese background.
Rana's filing states that "racism was normalized, sexual coercion was tolerated, and retaliation was weaponized against those who refused to remain silent" at the bank. The suit further claims that non-white and non-Christian employees, including Jewish and African-American individuals, were subjected to hate and bigotry by colleagues.
Legal History
This is the second lawsuit Rana has brought against JPMorgan Chase. His initial suit, filed in state court, was dismissed at his request to allow for refiling in federal court. JPMorgan Chase has previously denied all allegations, and Hajdini has filed a counterclaim for defamation against Rana.