JPMorgan Banker Says Sex-Assault Allegations Have Ruined Her Life
Lorna Hajdini, the JPMorgan investment banker who was accused of sexual assault, countersued on Tuesday, saying the AI-generated memes and coverage of the lurid allegations have made her life “a daily, living nightmare.”
In a suit against her former colleague, Chirayu Rana, Hajdini said his allegations were entirely fabricated, have caused her mental harm and resulted in her losing a volunteering job. She is suing him for defamation and “malicious prosecution.”
“Plaintiff deliberately crafted a salacious narrative designed to achieve maximum press coverage and inflict maximum pain; unfortunately, it has succeeded despite its falsity,” the countersuit said. “Plaintiff’s false, malicious, and bad faith statements have wreaked havoc on Ms. Hajdini’s life.”
She also claimed that Rana’s attacks on her were part of a “common pattern and scheme” he had advanced at other employers, though she didn’t name a specific firm. He has worked at a litany of well-known firms on Wall Street, including Morgan Stanley, Carlyle Group and an affiliate of Apollo Global Management.
Rana had originally filed a lawsuit on April 27 under the pseudonym “John Doe,” alleging that Hajdini had sexually harassed and assaulted him for months. The graphic detail in its allegations and quotations that it claimed Hajdini said went viral on social media, including “If you don’t f—me soon, I’m going to ruin you…Never forget, I f—ing own you,” and “If you don’t f—my brains out tonight, I’m going to sabotage your promotion.”
Daniel Kaiser, a lawyer for Rana, didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. He has previously said that “we look forward to the truth and facts coming to light through court proceedings.”
JPMorgan said in a statement that “we fully support Lorna and her right to defend herself and protect her reputation. As we’ve said from the outset, we don’t believe the allegations against her or the firm have merit.”
Hajdini’s lawyers had denied the allegations from the start. JPMorgan has said the bank conducted an internal investigation after Rana filed a complaint and found them not credible. The bank still offered him a $1 million payout, but Rana rejected the settlement and went public, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Rana’s allegations were a hot topic across Wall Street and social media for weeks, as many observers doubted they were truthful. In her countersuit, Hajdini says the public reaction took a toll on her life and she has received threats to her personal safety.
She started at JPMorgan in 2011 and had never been the subject of a harassment complaint, the suit said. Rana’s lawsuit has resulted in lasting damage to her career, Hajdini’s suit said.
“Ms. Hajdini and members of her family have been mocked, ridiculed, and harassed around the clock, with Ms. Hajdini serving as the ongoing focal point of countless jokes, memes, and AI-generated images and videos of a persistently vile, degrading, and sexual nature—all a direct consequence of Plaintiff’s lies,” the suit said.