JPMorgan sexual harassment lawsuit dismissed, refiling expected

NEW YORK, July 17 (Reuters) – A New York state judge dismissed the lawsuit of a former JPMorgan Chase banker who publicly stated that her former supervisor forced her to have sex and demanded her compliance, but the case is expected to be reopened in federal court.

Former banker Chirayu Rana will pay JPMorgan and his former colleague Lorna Hajdini some legal fees as a condition of their termination, Judge Dakota Ramseur wrote Thursday.

The dismissal requested by Rana does not affect Hajdini’s libel countersuit against him. His case continues in state court in Manhattan.

Rana, a vice president in leveraged finance, accused Hajdini of using his seniority to coerce her into nonconsensual sexual activity over several months.

The complaint stated that Hajdini used racially derogatory language to threaten Rana, who is of Asian descent. He also said he raped and drugged her, claimed he “owned” her and threatened to sabotage her career if she did not comply with his sexual demands.

Hajdini said Rana’s malicious lies “brought devastation” to his life, subjecting him to ridicule and harassment at all hours of the day, and were designed to generate maximum press coverage, in addition to millions of dollars in damages he did not deserve.

He also denied being Rana’s superior, using racial epithets or threatening him.

JPMorgan said it believes Rana’s claims are unfounded.

Rana filed the lawsuit against JPMorgan and ​Hajdini on April 27 and changed attorneys last month.

His new attorneys said they plan to add discrimination and retaliation claims under multiple federal civil rights laws and claims under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act to Rana’s state-law-based claims.

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