The expanded lawsuit adds new defendants and claims the bank destroyed the former executive's career after he reported misconduct
The former JPMorgan Chase vice president whose sexual harassment lawsuit went viral earlier this year has filed a significantly expanded federal complaint in Manhattan, adding new defendants, new claims of racial discrimination, and allegations that the largest U.S. bank wrecked his career after he reported the misconduct.
Chirayu Rana, a Nepali American former deal originator in JPMorgan's leveraged finance division in New York, filed the complaint on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, according to Reuters and a statement from his legal team at Joseph & Norinsberg LLC. The 82-page filing names the bank alongside executive director Lorna Hajdini, managing directors Brandon Graffeo and Jon Wolter, and associate Kelly Crowe as defendants.
A JPMorgan spokesperson, speaking on behalf of the defendants, told Reuters the bank doesn't believe there is merit to the claims and noted that Rana refused to cooperate with an internal investigation while numerous employees did.
Racism allegations at the center of the new filing
The federal complaint substantially expands the factual record from the state court case that was dismissed at Rana's own request on July 16 so his new legal team could refile with broader claims. Where the original lawsuit focused primarily on allegations of sexual coercion, the federal version puts racial discrimination front and center.
The complaint alleges that Rana was the only non-white, non-Christian banker on an otherwise all-white leveraged finance team, and that colleagues and supervisors routinely subjected him to racial slurs. According to the filing, team members referred to him with derogatory terms tied to his South Asian heritage, suggested he should transact in rupees, and one colleague texted a reference to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and his family, Reuters reported.
Rana's attorneys said the complaint is supported by preserved internal team messages, recorded conversations, and sworn witness accounts gathered through an extensive pre-suit investigation.
Sexual coercion and retaliation claims carry forward
The complaint renews Rana's allegations that Hajdini, who held supervisory authority over his assignments and compensation, coerced him into sexual acts and told him she "owned" him, tying his advancement to compliance with her demands. Hajdini has denied every allegation and filed a defamation countersuit against Rana, calling his claims fabricated and designed to attract maximum press coverage, Reuters reported. Her lawyers did not respond to Reuters' request for comment on the new filing.
Rana also alleges that after he formally reported the misconduct in May 2025, JPMorgan removed him from the workplace within weeks, revoked his access, cut his pay, and placed him on involuntary leave, while the employees he accused continued working. The complaint claims he was effectively forced to resign last October, and that Graffeo and Wolter then poisoned his reputation across the private credit industry, causing his subsequent employer to fire him in April 2026.
The pattern Rana describes, where a discrimination complaint is followed by swift adverse action, has become a recurring theme in federal employment litigation this year. Courts have consistently held that retaliation claims gain traction when protected complaints are followed by adverse employment actions in close sequence, regardless of the employer's stated justification.
What the case means for employers
The filing arrives at a moment when federal regulators are taking a harder line on employers that fail to act on harassment complaints. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has pursued multiple enforcement actions in 2026 against companies accused of allowing hostile work environments to persist unchecked.
Rana's complaint asserts claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. Section 1981, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and New York state and city human rights laws, among others. He's seeking back pay, front pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and has demanded a jury trial.
The case is one of several employee disputes generating unwanted public attention for JPMorgan in 2026. Reuters reported the bank is also fighting a $4.25 million arbitration award to a former wealth manager and dealing with fallout from a viral video involving an employee at the New York Knicks championship parade.
No court has yet tested Rana's allegations on the merits. The case will proceed in federal court, and Hajdini's defamation countersuit remains active in state court.
