JPMorgan Lawsuit Says Gay Employee Was Told: Quit or Be Fired

An openly gay JPMorgan Chase employee was allegedly presented with a brutal choice—resign or be fired—after months of what he describes as homophobic treatment. In a federal complaint, he says the experience triggered panic attacks, depression and debilitating migraines.

Brian Larson, a former senior associate who helped lead the banking giant’s LGBTQ+ employee group, alleges he was effectively forced out after raising concerns about discrimination by a supervisor.

The allegations appear in a federal lawsuit filed this week in Manhattan. Larson claims the situation became so distressing that a psychological condition from his childhood returned, causing him to pull out his own hair.

JPMorgan firmly rejects the accusations, saying an internal investigation found no evidence supporting Larson’s claims.

Larson joined JPMorgan through its Chase Associate Program, known as CAP, and served as co-chair of Pride Tri-State, an employee group that supports LGBTQ+ workers.

According to his lawsuit, however, his leadership role in the group eventually created tension with one of his supervisors.

The supervisor allegedly told Larson to keep his “gay job” separate from his regular work and warned that “DEI wasn’t going to save” him, the complaint states.

Larson further alleges that the supervisor told him: “Just because [Mr. Larson is] gay doesn’t mean [he] get[s] a leg up.”

The lawsuit says the relationship deteriorated even though Larson had received strong evaluations during his first rotation. His manager had described him as an “all-star” and “one of the best” CAP associates she had worked with.

Larson alleges that Peter Bergman, his supervisor during the rotational Chase Associate Program, later removed him from projects and rated him only “on track” in all three categories. The complaint characterizes that assessment as a poor result within the CAP program.

According to the complaint, the alleged treatment had a devastating effect on Larson’s health.

He claims he developed panic attacks, severe depression and insomnia, gained between 20 and 25 pounds, and began suffering from chronic migraines that resisted treatment.

Larson also says he experienced a return of trichotillomania, a condition involving recurrent urges to pull out one’s hair.

He had not experienced a flare-up since childhood, according to the lawsuit. But as the workplace stress intensified, he allegedly developed “noticeable bald patches on his scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes.”

The dispute reached a breaking point in October 2023, more than two years after Larson joined JPMorgan full-time.

The complaint says Larson was called to a meeting with human resources over approximately $40 in expenses.

The expenses involved two Uber rides from Pride Month events Larson attended in June as part of his Pride-related duties.

HR allegedly told him the expenses ‘raised questions about his trustworthiness and honesty,’ the complaint reads.

Larson further said his manager had approved his attendance at the events and that he had been instructed to expense the rides to JPMorgan.

According to the lawsuit, his manager backed up his account and the expense issue was dropped.

But just four days later, Larson claims he received another call from HR – and this time was allegedly confronted with the ultimatum that would end his career at the bank.

‘HR told Mr. Larson that if he did not resign he would be fired, and that termination would be on his record, negatively impacting his chance of being rehired by JPMorgan in the future,’ the complaint states.

The lawsuit claims HR then instructed Larson to log into an online portal, share his computer screen and submit his resignation while HR watched, even directing him which buttons to click. 

Larson claims that when he demanded to know why, he was told his time in the Chase Associate Program ‘had run out.’

He ultimately resigned.

Larson maintains in this filing that his departure was the culmination of discrimination and retaliation after he spoke out about his treatment.

‘I was proud to build my career at JPMorgan Chase and believed deeply in the firm’s stated commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion,’ Larson said in a statement to Our News Outlet. 

‘When I experienced conduct that I believed was discriminatory and raised concerns through the appropriate channels, I expected those concerns to be taken seriously.

‘Instead, as alleged in the complaint, I faced retaliation that ultimately derailed my career at the firm.’ 

JPMorgan paints a sharply different picture.

‘We take these allegations very seriously and after a thorough internal investigation we found no evidence to substantiate Mr. Larson’s claims,’ a spokesman said in a statement to Our News Outlet.

A source at the bank also told Our News Outlet that Larson’s managers identified ‘gaps’ in his performance and coached him on the quality of his work, communication and receptiveness to feedback.

The source said Larson’s participation in the Chase Associate Program did not guarantee him a permanent position and that he resigned after failing to secure one.

Larson’s complaint alleges his damaged performance record effectively trapped him.

He says he applied for approximately 50 JPMorgan positions between July 2023 and February 2024, including after his departure from the bank, but failed to secure another role.

Although Larson felt interviewers were enthusiastic about him, his lawsuit claims he repeatedly encountered what appeared to be an ‘invisible wall’ once his applications progressed.

The complaint alleges his negative performance review and information connected to his discrimination complaints were hindering his attempts to move elsewhere inside JPMorgan.

One coworker cited in the lawsuit allegedly described the environment at the bank as ‘lowkey homophobic.’

The complaint also takes aim at JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon over an alleged conversation Larson says was recounted to him by another executive.

According to the lawsuit, the executive told Larson that Dimon had asked him to explain the Kinsey scale before allegedly remarking that he ‘could be 17 percent gay.’ 

Larson says he considered the alleged remark ‘both odd and offensive.’ 

After leaving JPMorgan, Larson applied for dozens of other positions before securing a senior manager role at a financial-services management consultancy in March 2024.

He claims he suffered worsening chronic migraines that had previously been controlled by treatment, but became more severe and stopped responding to treatment after he began working under Bergman. 

Larson left that job in July 2025 and now receives Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, according to his complaint.

Larson’s attorneys argue that JPMorgan violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. 

In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled Title VII’s prohibition against discrimination because of sex protects gay and transgender employees.

‘As alleged in the complaint, Mr. Larson was a high-performing employee who deserved recognition for his contributions to the workplace, not harassment for his involvement in a LGBTQ+ pride group,’ his attorneys Julia Elmaleh-Sachs and Samantha Wilhelm, said in a statement to Our News Outlet.

‘We look forward to holding JPMorgan Chase accountable.’

In an email to the Mail Larson said he brought the case because workers should not fear that being open about their sexuality or reporting alleged discrimination could jeopardize their careers.

‘No employee should have to choose between being open about who they are and feeling secure in their job, or fear professional consequences for reporting discrimination,’ he said.

‘I hope this case helps reinforce that workplace inclusion must be reflected not only in public commitments, but in how employees are actually treated when they speak up.’

Larson is seeking back pay and future lost wages, benefits and healthcare coverage, along with damages for alleged emotional distress, humiliation, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life.