JPMorgan Sued Over Alleged Sexual Abuse and Retaliation by Senior Banker

A lawsuit filed Monday in New York County Supreme Court is forcing JPMorgan Chase, the largest U.S. bank by assets, to once again defend its workplace culture against allegations of executive misconduct and retaliation. A Senior Vice President in the bank''s Leveraged Finance group, identified only as John Doe to protect his family from threats, alleges that a more senior colleague — Lorna Hajdini, 37, an Executive Director in the same division — subjected him to more than a year of sexual coercion, racial abuse and professional intimidation, and that the bank then punished him for reporting it.

The complaint describes a pattern that began in early 2024, shortly after the two were placed on the same team. According to the filing, what started with inappropriate comments and unwanted touching at the office escalated into sexual assault, with Hajdini allegedly leveraging her seniority over promotion and bonus decisions to coerce compliance. The plaintiff says he was told repeatedly that his career trajectory — including a path to Executive Director — depended on submitting to her demands. Two witnesses are cited in the complaint as corroborating portions of the account.

Among the most serious allegations: the plaintiff claims Hajdini later admitted to drugging him with Rohypnol and an erection-enabling pharmaceutical before some encounters, and that she used her executive access to monitor his personal bank account. The filing also describes racial slurs directed at the plaintiff, who is Asian, and at his wife. JPMorgan, through a spokesperson, said an internal investigation found no evidence to support the claims, adding that the complainant declined to participate in the review. Hajdini, who has not publicly responded, remains employed at the firm.

The retaliation allegations are likely to draw the closest attention from regulators and shareholders. After the plaintiff filed an internal complaint in May 2025 detailing race- and gender-based discrimination, he says he was reprimanded within days, locked out of company systems and placed on involuntary leave. He also describes anonymous threatening phone calls — including one allegedly threatening to report him and his family to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — that he believes were coordinated by individuals tied to his accuser. He says no comparable action was taken against the executives he named.

For JPMorgan, the timing is awkward. The bank has spent the past two years rebuilding credibility after settlements tied to the Jeffrey Epstein matter and a string of conduct cases across its trading and wealth divisions. Chief Executive Jamie Dimon has publicly emphasized accountability and a "speak up" culture; this complaint argues the opposite happened. Even if the bank prevails on the merits, the discovery phase is likely to surface internal communications, HR memos and investigation files that could be damaging in their own right, and could renew pressure from large institutional shareholders on board-level oversight of conduct risk.

The plaintiff is represented by Daniel J. Kaiser and is seeking damages for lost earnings, emotional distress and reputational harm, plus punitive damages and changes to the bank''s internal practices. He says he has been diagnosed with PTSD and has been unable to find new employment in the industry. Beyond the individual case, the suit lands at a moment when Wall Street firms — under pressure from the SEC, FINRA and state regulators — are being asked to demonstrate that internal reporting channels actually protect whistleblowers rather than punish them. JPMorgan''s response, both in court and in its handling of the executives named, will be watched as a test of that promise.