JPMorgan Chase Class Action Alleges Racial Discrimination

JPMorgan Chase has been hit with a class action lawsuit by a personal banker claiming the bank discriminates against African American employees.

Plaintiff Angela Dunn states that JPMorgan has a segregated employment policy where African American Personal Bankers are placed at lower-income branches.

In addition, the plaintiff states that the defendant did not provide these personal bankers with the same opportunities to be promoted or transferred than non-African American employees.

Dunn is an African American resident of Orleans Parish, La. and worked at numerous JPMorgan branches in New Orleans. She claims she was the subject of racially different treatment at the Chase branches where she worked.

She alleges that her white manager fired seven African American employees and was quicker to discipline and fire African American employees than he was to discipline and fire white employees who were involved in similar infractions. She also claims that her white manager sent her racist text messages.

Dunn says that although she pursued opportunities to develop her skill set with the company, she was continuously denied promotions. In addition, she states she was repeatedly passed over for management positions.

In addition, the JPMorgan class action states that the last time she applied for a management position she was told that her performance numbers were not high enough. However, Dunn claims that her performance numbers are limited by her placement in low-performing branches with less wealthy clientele.

“Through Plaintiff’s entire tenure with Chase, Plaintiff only recalls one African American employee receiving a promotion, and that individual had to first go through the military to receive a veteran’s preference before he received the promotion,” says the JPMorgan class action lawsuit.

The plaintiff claims that non-African American Personal Bankers were placed at higher-income branches because of their race.

“Because African American Personal Bankers are disproportionately placed at lower-income branches, they are paid less than their non-African American co-workers in higher-income branches, as their pay is based, in part, on commission,” claims the JPMorgan discrimination class action lawsuit.

The plaintiff maintains that the defendant has engaged in a “nationwide pattern” of race discrimination and has nationwide policies that discriminate against African American Personal Bankers.

Dunn says JPMorgan engages in “open race matching” and “racial steering” by placing African American Bankers in lower performing and unsafe branches, which results in a segregated workforce.

In addition, JPMorgan disproportionately assigns African American Personal Bankers to branches that have experienced more criminal activity, which places them in a more unsafe workplace environment than non-African American employees.

Also, Dunn maintains that JPMorgan has a “Private Client” program which is reserved for customers with more than $250,000 in assets at Chase bank. These programs are in affluent areas which are absent from African American communities. Thus, African American Personal Bankers are disproportionately excluded from becoming Private Client Personal Bankers.

“The racially discriminatory policies and practices at Chase are uniform and national in scope. Class members relying on Plaintiff to protect their rights work or worked at Chase branches across the country and were harmed by these same policies and practices,” claims that JPMorgan class action lawsuit.

JPMorgan settled a similar lawsuit in September 2018 for $24 million, which was brought by African American employees who also claimed the bank discriminated against them because of their race.

Have you experienced discrimination working at JPMorgan Chase? Leave a message in the comments section below.

The plaintiff is represented by Philip Bohrer and Scott E. Brady of Bohrer Brady LLC, and Jay D. Ellwanger and Esha Rajendran of Ellwanger Law LLLP.

The JPMorgan Chase Discrimination Class Action Lawsuit is Dunn v. JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, Case No. 2:20-cv-00483, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

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