JPMorgan banker countersues accuser, says sexual assault ‘lies’ ruined her life | New York
The JPMorgan Chase investment banker accused of sexual assault in an explosive case that went viral has hit out at his accuser, saying her malicious lies damaged his reputation and “butchered” his life.
In documents filed Tuesday night in a New York state court in Manhattan, Lorna Hajdini said her former colleague Chirayu Rana fabricated allegations that he raped and drugged her to get maximum press coverage, cause her suffering and extract millions of dollars from her and JPMorgan.
“Unfortunately, it was successful despite its falsity,” the countersuit said.
According to the countersuit, Hajdini was “ridiculed, humiliated, and harassed for 24 hours” and “became the focus of jokes and memes of a vile, derogatory, and sexual nature, all of which are a direct result of the plaintiff’s lies.”
“Plaintiff’s false, malicious and malicious statements harmed Ms. Hajdini’s life,” he added.
Hajdini is seeking unspecified damages from Rana for defamation, emotional distress and other claims.
Rana’s lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday. Hajdini’s lawyers did not immediately have additional comment.
JPMorgan is also a defendant in Rana’s case.
“We fully support Lorna and her right to defend herself and protect her reputation,” the New York-based bank said in a statement Wednesday. “As we have said from the beginning, we do not believe the allegations against him or the company are justified.”
In his April 27 complaint, Rana, vice president of leveraged finance, accused Hajdini of using his seniority to coerce her into nonconsensual sexual activity over several months.
The complaint strikingly describes how Hajdini allegedly threatened Rana, who is of Asian descent, with racially derogatory language, saying that he “owned” her and that he would sabotage her career if she did not comply with his sexual demands.
Rana filed the lawsuit under an alias but his identity has since been made public. JPMorgan placed him on administrative leave in June 2025, according to his complaint, and he remained there while he filed suit.
Hajdini denied being Rana’s superior, using racial epithets or threatening him.
He also said he was a managing director of JPMorgan and joined the bank in 2011 and had never been the subject of a complaint of discrimination or harassment. JPMorgan said on May 6 that it tried to reach a settlement with Rana before he filed the lawsuit. According to the Wall Street Journal, the bank offered $1 million. Men bring about 17% of sexual harassment claims, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The agency does not track the gender of people accused of harassment.
