JP Morgan Execs Told Black Banker Harlem Was Better 'Fit:' Suit

HARLEM, NY — A former financial adviser at JP Morgan Chase & Co. is suing the company in federal court for pressuring him to leave his job after he faced racial discrimination, according to a lawsuit filed in May.

Francis Abanga was serving as a financial adviser to four JP Morgan branches in the Castle Hill and Parkchester sections of the Bronx in 2017 when supervisors began pressuring him to take a job at a lower performing branch in Harlem because he is black, according to his lawsuit.

Abanga refused to relocate because he felt the Harlem branch handled less money than his current four, which were growing under his stewardship. But two weeks later, supervisor Gabriel Godoy stripped him of two of his branches despite strong performance, Abanaga claims in a lawsuit.

Disappointed at losing his branches, Abanga applied to open positions on the Upper West Side and in Throgg's Neck, but was denied the opportunity by Godoy because the supervisor believed "demographics would not support him," Abanga said in the federal lawsuit. Abanga complained to his regional director, Jeff Papa, who sided with Godoy and told Abanga that Harlem was the right "fit" for the financial adviser.

After being stripped of his branches, denied the opportunity to apply elsewhere and pressured to locate to a lesser job, Abanga felt that he was forced to leave JP Morgan altogether, according to the lawsuit.

The financial advisor's lawyer, Lauren Goldberg, wrote in the lawsuit that JP Morgan's conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as human rights laws of both New York State and New York City. Abanga is demanding compensation for lost past and future income and compensation for non-monetary damages such as anxiety, stress, humiliation and emotional distress

JP Morgan spokeswoman Elizabeth Seymour declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Check out the full civil complaint below:

Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images News