Legal/Law/Criminal Justice and Reform

JPMorgan Sued After Employee Allegedly Told To Keep ‘Gay Job’ Separate From Work

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JPMorgan Chase was facing a federal discrimination lawsuit from a former employee who alleged a supervisor told him to keep his “gay job” separate from his regular work before the bank retaliated against him and forced him out.

Brian Larson, a former senior associate at JPMorgan, filed the lawsuit Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging discrimination and retaliation based on his sexual orientation. Larson brought claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act as well as New York state and city human rights laws; Bloomberg Law first reported details of the complaint.

Larson joined JPMorgan through its Chase Associate Program in 2021 and later became co-chair of PRIDE Tri-State, a regional chapter of the bank’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group, according to the complaint.

Larson alleged that one of his supervisors criticized his involvement with the group and told him to keep his “gay job” separate from his regular position, according to Forbes. The supervisor allegedly told Larson that “DEI wasn’t going to save” him.

Larson claimed he reported the comments to another supervisor and JPMorgan’s human resources department, after which his treatment at the bank changed.

His work allegedly came under increased scrutiny, he was removed from projects and his performance reviews declined after previously receiving strong evaluations, according to the lawsuit. Larson also alleged his supervisor refused to recognize his PRIDE leadership work in a performance review despite guidance from the bank’s diversity leadership that such work should receive credit.

Larson further claimed he applied for roughly 50 internal positions after completing the rotational program and advanced to the final two candidates approximately 35 to 40 times without receiving an offer.

JPMorgan’s human resources department determined in December 2022 that there was “no credible evidence” supporting Larson’s discrimination allegations, according to the complaint. Larson claimed the bank later told him in October 2023 that he could resign or be fired.

JPMorgan denied Larson’s allegations and said his departure was related to his performance, according to the New York Post.

Larson was seeking compensatory and punitive damages for alleged lost earnings, benefits and emotional distress, in addition to attorneys’ fees and other financial relief.

JPMorgan faced litigation over its treatment of customers, including allegations involving political debanking.