A former JPMorgan Chase banker whose explosive sexual harassment lawsuit captured widespread attention has now filed an expanded complaint, adding new defendants and fresh allegations that the country’s largest bank allowed racism and sexual coercion to flourish — ultimately destroying his career.
Chirayu Rana, who is of Nepali descent, claims that racial bias was deeply embedded in the culture of his otherwise all-white leveraged finance team. According to the complaint, his South Asian background “became the punchline for a stream of degrading jokes,” with colleagues reportedly calling him a “monkey” and “brown boy.”
A JPMorgan spokesperson pushed back on the allegations on behalf of all 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.”
The 82-page complaint details additional allegations, including that coworkers suggested Rana conduct transactions in rupees, and that one colleague sent a text message telling him to “run before we call ICEE {sic} on your family” — a reference to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Rana also restated claims against JPMorgan executive director Lorna Hajdini, alleging she pressured him into a sexual relationship and demanded his submission as a condition of career advancement, repeatedly telling him she “owned” him.
The complaint paints a grim picture of Rana’s professional standing. Once described as a “leading” deal originator who earned “well over” $2 million annually, Rana says he has since been “effectively blackballed.” The filing states: “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.”
Hajdini has denied Rana’s allegations and filed a countersuit for defamation, claiming his statements “wreaked havoc” on her life, exposed her to relentless public ridicule, and were crafted to generate maximum media attention. Attorneys for Hajdini did not return requests for comment.
This case is among several involving JPMorgan employees that have spread across social media this year, drawing unwanted scrutiny to a bank that posted $37.6 billion in profit during the first half of 2026. In separate matters, JPMorgan is contesting a $4.25 million arbitration award to a former wealth manager fired over a Super Bowl snack platter expense, and a former staffer was filmed dumping out and walking off with a commemorative trash can during a parade celebrating the NBA champion New York Knicks.
Rana originally filed his lawsuit in Manhattan federal court, but a state judge dismissed an earlier version on July 16 — filed in April — so that Rana and his new legal team could expand the claims.
The updated complaint names two JPMorgan managing directors, Brandon Graffeo and Jon Wolter, as new defendants. Rana alleges that Graffeo “led” the campaign to degrade him, and that both Graffeo and Wolter worked to damage his standing in the private credit and leveraged finance industry after he resigned under pressure last October. He claims their efforts led a subsequent employer to fire him in April.
JPMorgan associate Kelly Crowe was also added as a defendant. Rana alleges she referred to him as “brown boy” and an “HR liability.”
The reason some of the new allegations were absent from the original complaint remains unclear.
Rana’s 21-count lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, front and back pay, and other remedies. The claims span alleged violations of federal civil rights laws, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, and New York state and city human rights laws — including charges of sexual and racial discrimination, harassment, retaliation, defamation against JPMorgan, Graffeo and Wolter, and sexual assault against Hajdini.
Rana’s attorney, Jon Norinsberg, issued a statement condemning the bank’s response: “JPMorgan has fed the public a false and misleading narrative. 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.”
