JPMorgan banker countersues accuser over sexual assault allegations

The JPMorgan Chase investment banker accused of sexual assault in a viral lawsuit countersued her accuser, claiming his malicious lies destroyed her reputation and “wreaked havoc” on her life.

In papers filed Tuesday night in New York state court in Manhattan, Lorna Hajdini said former colleague Chirayu Rana fabricated allegations that she raped and drugged him to attract press coverage, cause her pain, and extract millions from her and JPMorgan.

“Unfortunately, it has succeeded despite its falsity,” the countersuit said.

Hajdini has “been mocked, ridiculed, and harassed around the clock,” becoming the focus of “vile, degrading, and sexual nature” jokes and memes “all a direct consequence of plaintiff’s lies,” according to the countersuit.

“Plaintiff’s false, malicious, and bad faith statements have wreaked havoc on Ms Hajdini’s life,” it added.

Hajdini seeks unspecified damages from Rana for defamation, emotional distress, and other claims.

Rana’s lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday. Lawyers for Hajdini had no additional comment.

JPMorgan is also a defendant in Rana’s lawsuit.

“We fully support Lorna and her right to defend herself and protect her reputation,” the New York-based bank said Wednesday. “As we’ve said from the outset, we don’t believe the allegations against her or the firm have merit.”

In his April 27 complaint, Rana, a vice president in leveraged finance, accused Hajdini of using her seniority to coerce him into non-consensual sexual activity over several months.

The complaint described how Hajdini allegedly threatened Rana, who is of Asian descent, with racially derogatory language, saying she “owned” him and would sabotage his career if he did not fulfill her sexual demands.

Rana sued under a pseudonym but has since been publicly identified. JPMorgan placed him on administrative leave in June 2025, where he remained when he sued, according to his complaint.

Hajdini denied being Rana’s supervisor, using racial epithets, or threatening him.

She also said she was a JPMorgan executive director who joined the bank in 2011 and had never been the subject of a discrimination or harassment complaint. JPMorgan said on May 6 it tried to settle with Rana before he sued, offering $1 million, the Wall Street Journal reported. Men bring about 17% of sexual-harassment claims, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The agency does not track the gender of people accused of harassment.

Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse is available from organizations including RAINN in the U.S. (800-656-4673), Rape Crisis in the U.K. (0808 500 2222), and 1800Respect in Australia (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html.