JPMorgan Chase Sued by Gay Employee Who Claims Harassment and Forced Resignation

Brian Larson, an openly gay senior associate at JPMorgan Chase, has filed a lawsuit against the bank alleging that his supervisor harassed him because of his sexual orientation and forced him to resign. Larson claimed that his boss, Peter Bergman, repeatedly criticized the amount of time he devoted to the Pride employee group.

Larson alleged that the treatment escalated after he raised concerns, eventually taking a toll on his mental health and career. According to the complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, Bergman confronted Larson during an unplanned Zoom meeting in June 2022 over his involvement with PRIDE Tri-State, a workplace group that supports LGBTQ+ employees.

Bergman allegedly told Larson to keep his 'gay job' separate from his 'day job,' and questioned whether his work with the group was affecting his responsibilities on the Growth Segments team. Larson said he was handling his Pride responsibilities in addition to working roughly 60-70 hours a week on his primary role.

JPMorgan Chase has denied the allegations, stating that an internal investigation found no evidence to substantiate Mr. Larson's claims. The bank said several managers had raised concerns about Larson's performance during his time there and provided him with coaching to address those shortcomings.