JPMorgan seeks bank, phone records in lurid sexual harassment suit

Chirayu Rana, a former JPMorgan investment banker, alleges his supervisor Lorna Hajdini sexually assaulted and harassed him, drugged him, and threatened his promotion over sexual demands; Hajdini and the bank deny any sexual contact occurred and deny she was even his supervisor. Both sides have countersued, with JPMorgan seeking Rana's prior employment and cellphone records to argue he has a pattern of fabricated workplace complaints, including a similar prior claim against a superior at Morgan Stanley.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan appeared skeptical of Rana's case during Tuesday's hearing, telling his attorney the 82-page complaint's detail suggested an intent to embarrass JPMorgan, though he signaled he may limit the bank's request for nearly two years of phone records as overbroad.

JPMorgan's attorney said Rana had been untruthful in other ways, including falsely claiming his father had died to take bereavement leave. Hajdini's attorney said the allegations, including a widely circulated remark about anatomy, strained credulity and said her client has faced worldwide threats and ridicule since the suit went public.

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