Ex-JPMorgan banker expands sexual harassment, racism lawsuit, adds three defendants

By: Jonathan Stempel, Reuters Reading Time: 3 min

Overview

The former JPMorgan Chase banker whose lurid sexual harassment lawsuit went viral added new claims and defendants on Monday, alleging that the largest U.S. bank's acceptance of racism and sexual coercion irreparably destroyed his career.

Chirayu Rana said racism was ingrained in the culture of his otherwise all-white leveraged finance team, where his South Asian heritage "became the punchline for a stream of degrading jokes," including being called a "monkey" and "brown boy."

JPMorgan has previously stated it believed Rana's allegations were meritless. Neither the bank nor its lawyers had an immediate comment on the updated complaint.

New Allegations

In an 82-page complaint, Rana—who is of Nepali descent—added the following allegations:

• Colleagues suggested he transact in rupees.
• One colleague texted that he should "run before we call ICEE {sic} on your family," referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Rana also renewed allegations that defendant Lorna Hajdini, a JPMorgan executive director, coerced him into sex and demanded his submissiveness as a condition of advancing his career, repeatedly saying she "owned" him.

Once a "leading" deal originator paid "well over" $2 million a year, Rana has been "effectively blackballed," the complaint said. "His reputation has been destroyed, his professional relationships shattered, and the career he spent years building reduced to rubble. This was not an unintended consequence of defendants' misconduct. It was its intended result."

Multiple Cases Bring Unwanted Attention

Hajdini has denied Rana's claims and countersued him for defamation, saying his lies "wreaked havoc" on her life, subjected her to around-the-clock ridicule, and were designed to attract maximum press coverage. Lawyers for Hajdini did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

This case is one of several matters involving JPMorgan employees to permeate social media this year, generating unwanted attention for a bank that generated $37.6 billion of profit in the first half of 2026.

Other notable incidents include:

• JPMorgan challenging a $4.25 million arbitration award to a former wealth manager who was fired after expensing a Super Bowl platter.
• A former employee caught on video dumping out and then walking away with a commemorative trash can during a parade for the NBA champion New York Knicks.

Three New Defendants

Rana filed his lawsuit in Manhattan federal court, after a state judge on July 16 dismissed a version filed in April so Rana and his new lawyers could add claims.

The new complaint adds JPMorgan managing directors Brandon Graffeo and Jon Wolter as defendants. Rana said Graffeo "led" his degradation, while Graffeo and Wolter campaigned to poison his reputation in the private credit and leveraged finance industry after he resigned under pressure last October, causing his subsequent employer to fire him in April.

JPMorgan associate Kelly Crowe was also added as a defendant, with Rana saying she called him "brown boy" and an "HR liability."

It was unclear why some new allegations were not included in Rana's original complaint.

Legal Claims and Remedies

Rana's 21-count complaint seeks:

• Unspecified compensatory damages
• Punitive damages
• Front and back pay
• Other remedies from various defendants

The claims allege violations of:

• Federal civil rights laws
• The federal Family and Medical Leave Act
• New York state and city human rights laws

Specific counts include:

• Sexual and racial discrimination, harassment, and retaliation
• A defamation claim against JPMorgan, Graffeo, and Wolter
• A sexual assault claim against Hajdini

"JPMorgan has fed the public a false and misleading narrative," Rana's lawyer Jon Norinsberg said in a statement. "We intend to hold the defendants fully accountable in a court of law for the catastrophic harm they caused to Mr. Rana's career, reputation and life."

Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis