A former member of JPMorgan Chase’s leveraged finance team filed an expanded federal complaint on Monday, accusing the bank and several colleagues of conduct that he says irreparably harmed his career. The new 82-page filing restates prior allegations of sexual coercion and adds fresh claims of racial abuse and reputational sabotage.
The plaintiff, Chirayu Rana, who is of Nepali descent, alleges that racism was entrenched in his otherwise all-white group. According to the complaint, co-workers repeatedly subjected him to degrading jokes, including referring to him as a "monkey" and calling him a "brown boy." The filing also alleges that colleagues urged he transact in rupees and that one texted he should "run before we call ICEE {sic} on your family," a reference to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Rana renewed his allegations that JPMorgan executive director Lorna Hajdini coerced him into sex and demanded submissiveness as a condition for career advancement, repeatedly telling him she "owned" him. The complaint says Rana, once a "leading" deal originator who was paid "well over" $2 million a year, has been "effectively blackballed." It contends his reputation and professional relationships were destroyed and that the outcome was intentional.
JPMorgan issued a statement on behalf of the defendants saying: "We don’t believe there’s any merit to these claims. While numerous employees cooperated with the investigation, the complainant refused." The bank declined further comment in the filing cited by the complaint.
Hajdini has denied the allegations and has filed a countersuit for defamation, asserting that Rana’s accusations "wreaked havoc" on her life, subjected her to continuous ridicule, and were crafted to attract intense media attention. Lawyers for Hajdini did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside the filings.
The lawsuit is one of several personnel-related matters involving JPMorgan employees that have drawn public attention this year. The complaint notes the bank reported $37.6 billion in profit in the first half of 2026. Other personnel disputes referenced in public filings include JPMorgan’s challenge to a $4.25 million arbitration award to a former wealth manager dismissed over an expense for a Super Bowl platter, and an incident in which a former employee was caught on video discarding and then taking a commemorative trash can during a parade for the NBA champion New York Knicks.
Rana originally filed a version of the suit in state court in April. That earlier filing was dismissed by a state judge on July 16 to allow Rana and new counsel to consolidate and add claims in federal court. The newly revised complaint names three additional defendants: JPMorgan managing directors Brandon Graffeo and Jon Wolter, and associate Kelly Crowe.
The complaint alleges Graffeo "led" the campaign of degradation against Rana and that Graffeo and Wolter sought to poison Rana’s standing in the private credit and leveraged finance markets after Rana resigned under pressure last October. The filing contends that campaign led Rana’s subsequent employer to fire him in April. The complaint also alleges that Crowe called Rana "brown boy" and referred to him as an "HR liability." The filing does not explain why some of these allegations were not included in the original complaint.
Rana’s 21-count complaint seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, front and back pay, and other relief. The claims advance alleged violations of federal civil rights statutes, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, and 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; 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 suit portrays a trajectory in which Rana went from a highly paid originator to someone he says has been largely excluded from the industry. The complaint describes the damage as deliberate rather than accidental, and seeks legal remedies to repair the professional and personal harm alleged.
At this stage, the bank and the named defendants dispute the validity of the claims. Hajdini’s defamation counterclaim maintains the accusations were false and designed to generate attention. Several of the new allegations added in the federal filing, including specific texts and reported comments, represent a broadening of the factual record presented by Rana and his counsel.
The case remains pending in Manhattan federal court, where the newly expanded complaint will proceed through the pretrial and discovery process unless the parties resolve matters outside court. The filings do not provide a timetable for such steps or indicate whether additional defendants or claims may be added.