'Go Back Brownie': Ex-JPMorgan Banker Behind 'Sex Slave' Lawsuit Files New Racism Case

A former JPMorgan Chase banker whose 'sex slave' lawsuit made him an unlikely viral sensation has now expanded his legal battle into a sweeping federal case alleging racism, sexual coercion and retaliation. Chirayu Rana filed the amended complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on 27 Jul 2026.

The 82-page federal filing, submitted on 27 July, adds new defendants, fresh racial-harassment allegations and a formal defamation claim, months after his original lawsuit against former supervisor Lorna Hajdini went viral online. JPMorgan maintains the claims are meritless, while Hajdini has countersued Rana for defamation.

From State Court 'Sex Slave' Claim to Federal Civil Rights Suit

Rana's case began under a pseudonym in New York State Supreme Court, where he accused Hajdini, an executive director on JPMorgan's leveraged finance team, of turning him into what his filings called a 'sex slave'. He accused Hajdini of sexual assault, racial harassment, drugging and career coercion, alleging she repeatedly forced him into sexual encounters and threatened to destroy his career if he resisted.

JPMorgan ran its own internal investigation and reached the same conclusion, yet the bank still quietly offered Rana a settlement of roughly £790,000 ($1 million) in March 2026, an offer he rejected while demanding closer to £9.3 million ($11.75 million). When those negotiations collapsed, a state judge dismissed the earlier version of the complaint on 16 July so that Rana and his new lawyers could add fresh claims.

In June, law firm Joseph & Norinsberg took over Rana's representation and sought to voluntarily discontinue the pending state-court action without prejudice, clearing the way for the case to be refiled with new allegations attached. That refiling arrived on 27 July as a federal civil rights complaint rather than a state lawsuit.

'Monkey' and 'Brown Boy': New Filing Alleges Racial Slurs at JPMorgan

In the new filing, Rana alleges that racism was ingrained in the culture of an otherwise all-white leveraged finance team, where his South Asian heritage became, in his words, the punchline for a stream of degrading jokes, including colleagues calling him a 'monkey' and a 'brown boy'. The complaint further alleges that colleagues suggested he should transact in rupees, and that one colleague texted that he should 'run' before they called immigration enforcement on his family.

JPMorgan associate Kelly Crowe was named as a new defendant in the filing, with Rana alleging she called him 'brown boy' and an 'HR liability'.

The complaint also names JPMorgan Chase, Hajdini, and Managing Directors Brandon Graffeo and Jon Wolter. It alleges that colleagues and supervisors repeatedly turned on Rana, who the filing describes as the highest-producing originator on the leveraged finance team and its only non-white, non-Christian banker.

According to the complaint, Rana formally reported the alleged discrimination and sexual abuse in May 2025, and within weeks JPMorgan removed him from the workplace, revoked his systems and building access, cut his pay and placed him on indefinite involuntary leave, while the employees he had accused continued working without interruption. His attorney, Michael Norinsberg, said in a statement that calling an employee 'monkey' and 'brown boy' is as offensive as it is outrageous, adding that the lawsuit seeks to hold the defendants accountable for fostering a workplace where blatant racism was tolerated and discrimination was ignored.

Supervisor 'Owned' Me: The Coercion Allegations and JPMorgan's Denial

The complaint alleges that Hajdini used her supervisory authority over Rana's assignments, evaluations, compensation and advancement to subject him to repeated and unwanted sexual conduct, telling him she 'owned' him and tying his advancement to compliance with her sexual demands, including groping him at work events, forcing sexual contact over his objections and, on one occasion, drugging him without his knowledge. Rana's 21-count complaint seeks unspecified compensation, and includes claims of sexual and racial discrimination, harassment and retaliation, alongside a defamation claim against JPMorgan, Graffeo and Wolter, and a sexual assault claim against Hajdini specifically.

JPMorgan has consistently rejected the underlying allegations. A bank spokesperson previously said that, following an internal investigation, it did not believe there was any merit to the claims, adding that while numerous employees cooperated with the inquiry, Rana himself refused to participate and declined to provide facts central to supporting his allegations. JPMorgan declined to comment on the newly amended complaint.

Hajdini has gone further than simple denial. She has countersued Rana for defamation, arguing that his allegations 'wreaked havoc' on her life, subjected her to around-the-clock ridicule, and were designed to attract maximum press coverage. Her lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the latest filing.

The case is the latest in a series of public relations challenges for JPMorgan this year. It is one of several matters involving employees to permeate social media, at a bank that generated £29.6 billion ($37.6 billion) of profit in the first half of 2026, and comes as JPMorgan separately challenges a £3.4 million ($4.25 million) arbitration award to a former wealth manager fired after expensing a Super Bowl platter.

Whatever the courts ultimately decide, Rana's expanded complaint ensures the case will remain a live and closely watched test of how a major Wall Street employer defends itself against allegations of racism and coercion levelled from an unusual direction.