A woman who says she was fired from her banking job after complaining that male colleagues called her curvaceous figure distracting is asking New York human rights officials to investigate.
Debrahlee Lorenzana filed a complaint against Citibank on Monday with the state Division of Human Rights. She says she was a victim of sex discrimination and then retaliation for speaking up.
A Citibank spokeswoman says Lorenzana was fired for poor job performance, not her appearance. The bank says it's confident it will prevail in the legal fight.
"Unlike Ms. Lorenzana, Citibank does not intend to try this case in the media and we reiterate that her termination was based on poor performance," Citibank said in a statement. "Although we can't speak to her previous attention-seeking activities, her current attempts to gain personal publicity are as transparent as her legal claims. We remain confident that when all of the facts and documentation are presented, the claim will be dismissed.”
The 33-year-old Lorenzana also has sued Citibank, part of banking giant Citigroup Inc. Lorenzana says she is taking action for herself and to make sure other women do not suffer from discrimination.
