The JPMorgan saga involving a former banker accusing a colleague of allegedly drugging and sexual assaulting him took another strange turn on Tuesday, when the lawyer for the accuser quit the case shortly before both parties were due in court — or at least he tried to.
Daniel Kaiser — who had been representing Chirayu Rana in his lawsuit against Lorna Hajdini and the bank — resigned from his position, The Wall Street Journal reported, with the attorney informing the New York Supreme Court that the former JPMorgan banker would be serving as his own counsel until he could find a replacement. But the judge presiding over the case, Dakota Ramseur, told Kaiser that, actually, he has to defend his client until a licensed attorney officially takes his place. That led to an awkward scene wherein Kaiser was forced to show up on Rana’s behalf; according to reporter Alexander Saeedy, the lawyer “seemed pretty unenthused by having to defend a client he’s trying to distance himself from, refusing even to try and rebut Hajdini and JPMorgan’s lawyers.”
Judge Ramseur also ruled on Tuesday that Rana’s lawsuit must be refiled under his own name, after it was originally filed last month under the pseudonym “John Doe.” While Rana’s identity has been known for weeks, Melissa Rodriguez, a lawyer for Hajdini — who has been accused of drugging and forcing Rana to have sex with her — argued that letting Rana continue to use the pseudonym would be “prejudicial” to Hajdini and JPMorgan, whose names, Rodriguez told the judge, have been “dragged through the mud.” Rodriguez added that Rana “has spoken with the media publicly,” citing an interview with South Asian community outlet the Juggernaut, and prior to that had “disclosed his name to various media outlets.” As Ramseur put it, per the New York Post: “The case law makes it really clear. You can’t put the genie back in the bottle.”
