A lawsuit brought by a former JPMorgan Chase banker, Chirayu Rana, alleging sexual coercion and abuse by a colleague has been dismissed by a New York state judge. Justice Dakota Ramseur ordered the dismissal on Thursday, with Rana expected to pay some legal fees to JPMorgan and his former colleague, Lorna Hajdini, as a condition.
Rana, who was a vice president in leveraged finance, claimed Hajdini used her seniority and racially derogatory language to threaten him, rape him, and demand his submissiveness over several months. He also alleged she threatened to sabotage his career.
Hajdini has denied Rana's accusations, stating his claims were malicious lies designed to attract press coverage and undeserved damages. She also disputed being Rana's supervisor or using racial epithets.
JPMorgan has maintained that Rana's allegations were meritless. The bank and Hajdini were sued by Rana on April 27. Following the dismissal, Rana's new legal team has indicated their intention to refile the case in federal court. They plan to add claims of discrimination, retaliation under federal civil rights laws, and violations of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act to the existing state law-based claims.
Hajdini's defamation countersuit against Rana remains active in state court.
