LGBTQ+ Employee Files Lawsuit Against JPMorgan Chase Over Alleged Discrimination

A former JPMorgan Chase employee has filed a federal lawsuit against the financial institution in New York, alleging severe workplace discrimination and harassment due to his sexual orientation. Brian Larson, who is gay, claims he faced retaliation after reporting discriminatory comments from his supervisor.

Larson joined JPMorgan's CAP program in 2021 as a Senior Associate and received high marks during his first rotation on the Real Estate Market Expansion team. However, his second rotation with the Growth Segments team under supervisor Peter Bergman took a turn for the worse.

Bergman allegedly told Larson to 'separate your gay job from your day job' and labeled PRIDE, an internal LGBTQ+ employee resource group, as an 'extracurricular' activity. Larson reported the remarks to his manager and filed a formal complaint with the bank's HR department in September 2022.

Despite receiving high marks during his third rotation in Wealth Management, Larson was unable to secure a permanent placement and was eventually terminated by the company on October 13, 2023. The lawsuit alleges that JPMorgan Chase violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the New York State Human Rights Law, and the New York City Human Rights Law.