A high-profile legal battle involving JPMorgan and a sex scandal has taken a new turn, with new details revealing a huge gap between the settlement sought and offered before the controversial sexual harassment lawsuit became public.Former JPMorgan banker Chirayu Rana reportedly demanded more than $20 million from the bank before filing a lawsuit accusing senior executive Lorna Hajdini of sexual harassment, according to sources cited by the New York Post. The demand was made in June last year, months before the matter came to public notice.“He threatened to go public and demanded millions of dollars,” a source close to the situation told the NYP.According to the Wall Street Journal, JPMorgan later offered Rana $1 million to settle the case, a figure previously reported. The report also said that Rana’s current lawyer Daniel J Kaiser proposed a counter offer of $11.75 million.The lawsuit was filed last month in New York County Supreme Court under the pseudonym “John Doe.” It contains serious allegations against Hazdini, including claims that he drugged Rana with Viagra and forced her to have sex repeatedly, including racist abuse and humiliating demands. Hazdini and his lawyers have denied all allegations. Hazdini’s associates have also described the lawsuit as a written “fan fiction” or “novel”.JPMorgan has also rejected the claims, saying an internal investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing. The bank said it reviewed emails, phone records and witness statements and found that Hajdini cooperated fully while Rana did not.Legal experts have weighed in on the dispute. New York lawyer Jason Goldman said: “Presumably, Rana sent Hazdini a shakedown letter, publicly threatening to file a lawsuit unless he bought his silence by paying an exorbitant fee for something he did not do. When he refused to bow down, Rana doubled down and pushed his name and reputation into the mud.Besides the sexual abuse claims, there are other layers to the case. According to the NYP, Rana told JPMorgan supervisors in December 2024 that his father had died, allowing him to take extended bereavement leave. However, his father was later found alive. When contacted, his father said, “I don’t know anything about this.” He is my son. He is a good boy.”Rana had filed an internal complaint alleging race and gender-based harassment in May 2025 before leaving the bank. He later joined private equity firm Bregel Sagemount but left the job in early April, just weeks before the lawsuit was filed.The central claim of the lawsuit has also been challenged by internal company structures. Rana and Hazdini reported to different managers and suggested they had no say over their pay or promotions. But Rana’s legal team says the allegations are genuine. His lawyer has said the claims will be supported by evidence as the case progresses.The lawsuit includes a series of detailed allegations. Rana claims the alleged harassment began soon after she joined the bank in 2024, including inappropriate physical contact and explicit comments. He further alleged that Hajdini threatened his career if his demands were not met. He has also accused the bank of retaliation and claims that following his complaint, he was sent on leave and his professional reputation has been damaged.Rana also says that he has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of the alleged events.Additionally, two new witness accounts in the high-profile case were reported by the Daily Mail. In one incident, a witness claimed that Lorna Hazdini, who was naked, asked him to “join her in the bedroom” in a New York apartment. Meanwhile, a second witness said he had heard Chirayu Rana say Lorna had made his life at work a “living hell”.