A senior executive at JPMorgan Chase has been accused of sexually harassing and abusing a junior male employee, including alleged coercion, racial abuse and threats to his career, according to a lawsuit cited by the Daily Mail.
The complaint filed in United States’ New York County Supreme Court names Lorna Hajdini, a 37-year-old executive director in the bank’s Leveraged Finance division.
She has been accused of using her position of power to subject a married subordinate to “non-consensual and humiliating sex acts” over several months, despite repeated refusals.
‘I’m going to ruin you, I f***ing own you’
The plaintiff, who has filed the case anonymously as John Doe, claims that the alleged behaviour began soon after the two started working together in early 2024, the Daily Mail reported.
Doe, who is Asian, joined the firm in March as a Senior VP/Director, while Hajdini joined the team in a senior role the following month. In one early incident in May, he alleges she initiated inappropriate physical contact near his desk and made sexually explicit remarks.
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From there, the complaint states, the advances escalated.
Later that month, when Doe declined an invitation to go out for drinks, Hajdini allegedly responded: “If you don’t f**k me soon, I’m going to ruin you… never forget, I f**king own you,” the UK daily’s report said.
Doe further claims she propositioned him for oral sex in the workplace, saying: “Birthday BJ for the brown boy? My little brown boy.”
Alleged threats to career
The lawsuit claims Hajdini repeatedly linked Doe’s career prospects to his compliance with her demands.
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At one work-related social event, she allegedly told him: “You’re gonna need to earn it, my little Arab boy toy,” while also engaging in unwanted physical contact.
During an encounter in late September 2024, Hajdini allegedly berated Doe for not generating enough business to support her bid for a promotion to Managing Director and threatened repercussions if he refused her advances, according to the complaint.
“Do you think you’re going to be in good standing if you do not have me in your corner,’ she allegedly said. ‘You really think [management]… want some Brown boy Indian leading Originations?… If you don’t f*** my brains out tonight, I’m going to sabotage your promotion,” the Daily Mail quoted the complaint.
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Claims of assault, drugging and racial abuse
The complaint states that the alleged harassment escalated into sexual assault, with two witnesses cited as corroborating parts of Doe’s account, according to the Daily Mail report.
In one incident during the summer of 2024, Hajdini allegedly arrived at an apartment where Doe was staying and again pressured him, saying: “Do you want to get promoted at year end or not? Do you want a future at JPMorgan? It’s that simple. I don’t know why you’re fighting this.”
The complaint further alleges she made derogatory remarks about his wife and forcibly initiated sexual acts despite his resistance. ‘Stop f***ing crying… you think anyone would believe you?’ she said.
Doe said he protested and began to cry, but Hajdini continued, saying: “Stop f***ing crying. You think anyone would ever believe you? You’re a fing douche bag who thinks he’s hot s**t, but you can’t even get your d**k hard for me? What the f*** is this?” she allegedly said.
The complaint adds that she then ordered him to perform a sexual act, ignoring his pleas of “don’t make me do this.”
“Afraid that Ms Hajdini would act on her threats to retaliate against him, [Doe], embarrassed and humiliated, complied with her demands,” the lawsuit states.
Doe alleges Hajdini used threats and racial insults to coerce him into sexual acts and admitted to drugging him with the “date-rape drug and other drugs” without his knowledge before certain encounters.
The complaint also states that Hajdini accessed Doe’s bank account without authorisation to monitor his movements.
Company denies allegations
In the complaint, Doe has also accuses JPMorgan Chase of enabling the alleged abuse and retaliating against him after he reported it. It claims the firm placed him on involuntary leave, damaged his reputation and failed to act against those accused.
In response, a spokesperson for the bank said an internal investigation found no evidence supporting the allegations.
“Following an investigation, we don’t believe there’s any merit to these claims,” the representative said. “While numerous employees cooperated with the investigation, the complainant refused to participate and has declined to provide facts that would be central to support his allegations.”