A senior executive at JPMorgan Chase is facing serious allegations in a lawsuit filed in New York, where a junior male employee of South Asian descent, has accused her of sexual abuse, racial harassment, and coercion in the workplace.
The complaint, filed in the New York County Supreme Court on April 27, identifies the complainant as “John Doe,” later reported to be Chirayu Rana, 35, and names Lorna Hajdini, an executive director in the firm’s Leveraged Finance division. According to the filing, the alleged misconduct began in the spring of 2024, shortly after the two started working together.
The lawsuit claims Hajdini used racially charged language and referred to the married employee as “Brown boy Indian.” It further alleges that she escalated her behaviour over time, including making explicit remarks in the office. In one instance cited in the complaint, she allegedly dropped a pen near his desk and, while picking it up, touched him inappropriately before saying, “Oh, you did play basketball in college? I love basketball players, they get me so wet.”
As per the filing, the situation intensified outside the workplace. After inviting Doe for drinks, Hajdini allegedly threatened him when he refused: “If you don’t f–k me soon, I’m going to ruin you, never forget, I f–king own you.”
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The complaint details another alleged incident from September 2024, where the threats were repeated alongside comments about his career prospects. “I f–king own you! I will make you pay. Do you think you’re going to be in good standing if you do not have me in your corner. You really think [management] want some Brown boy Indian leading originations? If you don’t f–k my brains out tonight, I’m going to sabotage your promotion.”
The plaintiff claims he ultimately gave in out of fear of professional retaliation. According to the lawsuit, his resistance during one of the encounters was allegedly overheard by someone in a nearby room.
The filing also includes a claim that Hajdini later admitted to drugging him with Rohypnol, commonly known as “roofies” or a date-rape drug, along with what is described as “an erection-enabling pharmaceutical substance,” to facilitate the encounters.
Hajdini has denied all allegations. In a statement shared with the New York Post through her lawyers, she said she has “never engaged in any inappropriate conduct with this individual of any kind and has never even been to the location where the alleged sexual assault supposedly took place.”
According to the filing, Hajdini arrived uninvited and made sexual advances. The complaint claims she removed her shirt and began touching herself before directing a racial insult at Doe’s wife, saying, “I bet your little Asian, fish head, wife doesn’t have these cannons.”
The plaintiff alleges that the interaction then turned non-consensual. He claims Hajdini forcibly removed his pants and performed oral sex on him against his will. The lawsuit states that he began to cry during the incident, but instead of stopping, she allegedly berated him.
“Stop f–king crying. You think anyone would ever believe you? You’re a f–king douche bag who thinks he’s hot s–t, but you can’t even get your d–k hard for me? What the f–k is this?” she allegedly said.
No criminal charges have been filed yet in the case. The nature of the civil claims are also yet to be verified.
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Who is Lorna Hajdini?
Details about Hajdini’s professional background have also surfaced as the case draws attention to her role within the firm.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Statistics from NYU Stern School of Business. She has spent close to 15 years at JPMorgan Chase and currently serves as an Executive Director in its Leveraged Finance division.
Over the course of her tenure, including a previous role as vice president, she worked across multiple sectors such as consumer, retail, pharmaceuticals and medtech, logistics, as well as aerospace and defence. Her profile also notes that she attended the Private Equity and Venture Capital program at Harvard Business School Executive Education.
Before joining JPMorgan, Hajdini completed internships at the office of a medical director and later with Glazer Capital Management and Tudor Investment Corporation.