A former JPMorgan Chase banker has expanded his lawsuit against the United States’ largest bank, filing an amended complaint that adds new defendants and fresh allegations of racial discrimination, sexual coercion and retaliation. The lawsuit claims the alleged conduct irreparably damaged his career, while JPMorgan has denied the allegations, saying they have no merit.
The amended complaint, filed on Monday in Manhattan federal court, was brought by Chirayu Rana, a former banker of Nepali descent. Rana alleges that racism was deeply embedded within his otherwise all-white leveraged finance team, where, according to the complaint, his South Asian heritage became the subject of repeated derogatory remarks.
In the 82-page complaint, Rana alleges that colleagues referred to him as a “monkey” and “brown boy”, suggested that he should conduct transactions in rupees, and that one colleague sent a text message stating he should “run before we call ICEE {sic} on your family”, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The lawsuit also renews allegations against JPMorgan executive director Lorna Hajdini. Rana claims Hajdini coerced him into sexual acts and demanded his submission as a condition for career advancement, repeatedly telling him that she “owned” him.
According to the complaint, Rana had been a “leading” deal originator earning “well over” $2 million annually before the alleged misconduct. The filing states that he has since been “effectively blackballed”, adding: “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.”
JPMorgan rejected the allegations in a statement issued through a spokesperson on behalf of the defendants.
“We don’t believe there’s any merit to these claims,” the spokesperson said. “While numerous employees cooperated with the investigation, the complainant refused.”
Hajdini has also denied Rana’s allegations and has filed a defamation countersuit against him. She alleges that his claims are false, saying they “wreaked havoc” on her life, subjected her to constant ridicule and were intended to attract maximum media attention. Lawyers representing Hajdini did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The amended complaint follows a decision by a state judge on 16 July to dismiss a version of the lawsuit filed in April, allowing Rana and his new legal team to submit a revised complaint with additional claims.
The new filing names three additional defendants: JPMorgan managing directors Brandon Graffeo and Jon Wolter, as well as JPMorgan associate Kelly Crowe. Rana alleges that Graffeo “led” efforts to degrade him, while Graffeo and Wolter allegedly worked to damage his reputation within the private credit and leveraged finance industry after he resigned under pressure last October. According to the complaint, those actions contributed to his subsequent dismissal by another employer in April.
Rana also alleges that Crowe referred to him as “brown boy” and described him as an “HR liability”. The amended complaint does not explain why several of the newly introduced allegations were absent from the original filing.
The lawsuit contains 21 counts and seeks unspecified compensatory damages, punitive damages, front pay, back pay and other remedies. The claims include alleged violations of federal civil rights laws, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, and New York state and city human rights laws. They encompass allegations of sexual and racial discrimination, harassment, retaliation, defamation against JPMorgan, Graffeo and Wolter, and 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.”
The case is one of several involving JPMorgan employees that has attracted attention on social media this year, bringing increased public scrutiny to the bank despite reporting $37.6 billion in profit during the first half of 2026. Among the other matters cited are the bank’s challenge to a $4.25 million arbitration award involving a former wealth manager and a separate incident in which a former employee was filmed taking a commemorative trash can during a parade celebrating the NBA champion New York Knicks.
