A former vice president in JPMorgan Chase’s anti-corruption unit claimed in a lawsuit that she was marginalized, mistreated and fired from the bank for complaining about compliance failures.
Shaquala Williams filed suit against JPMorgan Thursday in Manhattan federal court, saying the bank fired her in October 2019 after she raised concerns that the bank may have broken the law by misleading the Securities and Exchange Commission, Justice Department and other regulators about its anti-corruption, anti-money- laundering, economic sanctions and risk governance programs.
“In response to Williams’s protected activities, the bank repeatedly subjected Williams to adverse actions,” Williams said in her suit. “Over time, the bank marginalized Williams’s role at the Bank, including removing responsibilities, giving an inaccurate performance review, issuing her a written warning, and firing her.”
JPMorgan didn’t immediately respond to a voicemail message seeking comment on the suit.
According to her suit, Williams, a lawyer, joined JPMorgan in July 2018 and was involved in managing its “Third Party Intermediaries” program, which seeks to prevent bank employees from getting business through corrupt actions.
She is seeking unspecified damages and an order finding that JPMorgan violated whistleblower protection provisions of the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Williams, who is Black, last year also filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming race and sex discrimination, which remains pending.
The case is Williams v. JPMorgan Chase & Co., 21-cv-09326, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).
