Lorna Hajdini files defamation suit against Chirayu Rana

JPMorgan Chase’s bitter legal battle has taken another dramatic turn after executive Lorna Hajdini filed a defamation lawsuit against former banker Chirayu Rana, accusing him of making false claims that the bank treated him as a “sex slave.”Hajdini filed the lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court on Tuesday, the New York Post reported.The scandal has roiled Wall Street since Rana first sued her last month under the pseudonym “John Doe.” In his original complaint, Lana accused Lorna of giving him Viagra, forcing him to have non-consensual sex and subjecting him to racist abuse while he worked at JPMorgan Chase. Rana also alleged that Hajdini also used insults to humiliate his wife.Now, Al-Hajdini is publicly fighting back.“Ms. Al-Hajdini categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of unlawful conduct,” the countersuit states.It continued: “The allegations are entirely false, malicious and fabricated, and were fabricated for the improper purpose of enriching themselves personally at the expense of the defendants and others.”According to the documents, Hajdini claimed Rana planned for months to destroy her reputation, harm her career and put millions of dollars in pressure on her and JPMorgan. Her legal team accused him of “spreading falsehoods that Ms. Hajdini was a racist, sexual predator,” claiming he aimed to “destroy her reputation for extorting millions of dollars from banks and executives.”The lawsuit also makes another allegation. Rana was said to have previously made “eerily similar fabricated sexual misconduct allegations” against a supervisor at his previous workplace. The allegation has not been independently confirmed.“Ms. Al-Hajdini seeks to vindicate her reputation, mitigate the significant harm caused to her, and hold Plaintiff accountable for her depraved and unlawful conduct,” the filing states.The latest court action comes just weeks after Rana made the “graphic” accusations. He initially sought a settlement worth more than $20 million before leaving the bank. He subsequently rejected a $1 million settlement offer from JPMorgan Chase before filing a lawsuit.A JPMorgan spokesman said: “We fully support Lorna and her right to defend herself and preserve her reputation. As we have said from the beginning, we believe the allegations against her or the company are without merit.”An internal investigation conducted by the bank found no evidence to support Rana’s allegations. It involves various HR and company executives. Rana himself declined to participate or give evidence.Some of Rana’s claims were later questioned.One charge alleges that Hajdini threatened to reduce his winnings unless he agreed to have sex with her. However, internal human resources documents reviewed by the New York Post show that Hajdini had no authority over Rana’s pay, promotion prospects or performance reviews because they all reported to different managing directors.Another charge describes an incident in which Al-Hajdini took off his shirt and used racist language to insult Rana’s then-partner. Al-Hajdini’s lawyer denies the allegation and says she never acted inappropriately toward him.The row became more serious after Rana lied about his father’s death to secure an extended leave from the end of 2024 to May last year. His father, Chaitanya Rana, was later found alive at his home in Fairfax, Virginia.Chatbot records from 2024 also mention a workplace complaint from Rana’s time at Morgan Stanley, in which the alleged abuser was allegedly a man.Rana’s financial career has been a rollercoaster. He recently left investment firm Bregal Sagemount shortly before filing the original lawsuit. He previously held positions at Houlihan Lokey, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley and The Carlyle Group. He also worked for a time at MidCap Financial, an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, but was fired over performance issues.