Macquarie Bank Employee Alleges Sexual Harassment and Retaliation in Lawsuit
A former employee claims repeated unwanted advances and subsequent retaliation after reporting her manager's conduct.
A lawsuit filed against Macquarie Bank alleges that a former employee experienced sexual harassment and retaliation. The complaint details claims of unwanted physical contact and repeated personal invitations from a manager, which allegedly escalated into over a year of scrutiny and victimisation after the employee made complaints.
Meixia 'Leah' Gao, the employee, reportedly emailed senior credit manager David Murray with a formal complaint about her manager, Bilal Ahmed. The lawsuit states that the alleged harassment began with unwanted touching and personal questions.
Other Macquarie Bank staff named in Ms Gao's filing include credit manager James Read and Shirley Fu. The nature of their alleged involvement is detailed within the lengthy statement of claim.
Ms Gao is accusing her employer of retaliation and adverse action after she made complaints about the alleged sexual harassment. The bank, in its defense, has stated that no findings of sexual harassment were made and denies that Mr. Ahmed's conduct was sexual in nature. The lawsuit is ongoing.