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JPMorgan Chase executive Lorna Hajdini is suing disgraced former banker Chirayu Rana for defamation, accusing him of completely fabricating claims that she used and abused him as her “sex slave,” The Post has learned.
Hajdini filed a defamation lawsuit against Rana in the New York State Supreme Court earlier on Tuesday.
The suit alleges that the 35-year-old finance professional, who lied about his dad dying to get time off work, orchestrated a months-long campaign of false accusations that torched her career, damaged her reputation and turned her life into a global tabloid spectacle that first lit up social media last month.
“Ms Hajdini categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of unlawful conduct,” the countersuit reads.
“These allegations are entirely false, malicious, and fabricated, and were concocted for the improper purpose of personal enrichment at the expense of defendants and others,” it said.
But the document also alleges that Rana had made similar sexual harassment claims in a previous job, a claim that The Post has previously been unable to independently verify.
“Plaintiff made up eerily similar fabricated allegations of sexual misconduct against a supervisor at a prior place of employment,” the court filing states.
“Ms Hajdini seeks to vindicate her name, mitigate the substantial damage inflicted upon her, and hold (the) plaintiff accountable for his depraved and unlawful conduct,” the suit continues.
Her lawyers called Rana’s initial complaint “the culmination of a months-long campaign to smear Ms Hajdini in the workplace, to third parties, the press, and now this court with fabricated assertions.”
A JPMorgan spokesman said: “We fully support Lorna and her right to defend herself and protect her reputation. As we have said from the outset, we don’t believe the allegations against her or the firm have merit.”
The new filing arrives just over two weeks after Rana ignited one of Wall Street’s most explosive recent scandals when he sued Hajdini in the New York court under the pseudonym “John Doe,” a name often used by survivors of sexual assault.
He accused the executive director in JPMorgan’s leveraged finance division of drugging him, subjecting him to months of nonconsensual sex acts, and insulting him with racial slurs.
Company insiders said Rana had initially sought a payout “north of $20 million” before he left the bank, but he ended up turning down the firm’s settlement offer of $1 million prior to launching his legal action.
An internal investigation by JPMorgan found zero evidence to support Rana’s claims. While numerous employees cooperated, the bank noted that Rana himself refused to participate or provide evidence.
One of Rana’s main allegations had been that Hajdini had threatened to slash his bonus unless he agreed to have sex with her.
But the 37-year-old executive, who is widely respected inside the Jamie Dimon-led lender, had no say over a possible promotion or his compensation whatsoever, according to internal HR documents obtained and reviewed by The Post. The pair reported to different managing directors.
Another claim that may have left Wall Streeters shaking their heads in disbelief was Rana’s description of how Hajdini allegedly removed her shirt, fondled her breasts, and told him: “I bet your little Asian, fish head, wife doesn’t have these cannons.”
But this newspaper knows the identity of the woman who dated the one-time student basketball player during his time at JPMorgan. Sources close to the couple said they never married, although their current relationship status is unclear.
Hajdini’s attorneys categorically denied the allegations, noting she had never engaged in inappropriate conduct with Rana and had never even visited several locations where the alleged assaults supposedly occurred.
The Post then revealed that the Rutgers University alum had told his superiors that his father had died, so he could string together several leave allowances from the Fall of 2024 until May last year.
But one of this outlet’s reporters found Chaitanya Rana alive and well at his home in Fairfax, Virginia, with the family patriarch insisting that his son “was a good guy.”
Chatbot transcripts from 2024 attributed to Rana referenced a workplace incident at Morgan Stanley, four years before he joined JPMorgan, and referred to his alleged abuser as “he.”
Rana’s journeyman career in finance seemingly lies in tatters after his “John Doe” lawsuit became the talk of Wall Street.
He departed the Gene Yoon-led Bregal Sagemount investment firm on April 2, with insiders saying he failed to make a mark with his superiors. That came just 26 days before filing the initial complaint against Hajdini.
A rep for the firm confirmed only that “he is no longer an employee” but could offer no explanation as to why the now-infamous Rana still had his biography on the company’s website.
His broad and varied career also included brief stints at Houlihan Lokey, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley and the Carlyle Group before joining JPMorgan’s leveraged finance team in spring 2024.
Rana also had a short spell at MidCap Financial, an Apollo Global Management affiliate, where he was “managed out” after six months over performance concerns, company insiders told this outlet.
Hajdini, who has been working throughout the ordeal, is a 15-year JPMorgan veteran and NYU Stern School of Business graduate who studies for sommelier exams in her spare time and volunteers with a nonprofit that helps low-income students attend college.
Rana’s lawyer, Daniel J. Kaiser, has been approached for comment.
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