Fired by Citi for being too attractive
Source: Agencies |
June 5, 2010, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A WOMAN who worked as a business banking officer in New York Citigroup Inc has filed a lawsuit against the bank accusing it of firing her for being too attractive.
The bank believes the lawsuit should be dismissed, or else sent to arbitration, court records show.
Debrahlee Lorenzana, a 33-year-old mother, alleged that management had warned her not to dress like her female co-workers because her "shapeliness" upset her "easily distracted" male colleagues and supervisors.
The lawsuit was filed in November 2009 but it received new attention after The Village Voice newspaper published an article about the 1.68-meter, 57-kilogram Lorenzana.
According to the complaint, soon after beginning work in September 2008 at a Citibank branch in Manhattan's Chrysler building, Lorenzana was advised by supervisors not to wear turtlenecks, pencil skirts and fitted suits because her figure made such attire "too distracting" for male workers to bear.
Lorenzana said management told her that female co-workers were not similarly told what to wear because their "general unattractiveness rendered moot their sartorial choices."
Efforts to dress down did not end management's complaints, the single mother told the Voice. "I could have worn a paper bag, and it would not have mattered," she said.
Lorenzana was eventually fired in August 2009, for reasons including "inappropriate" attire and a failure to meet new account quotas, the complaint said.
Citigroup rejected Lorenzana's charges. "Her termination was solely performance-based and not at all related to her appearance or attire," the bank said in a statement.
The bank believes the lawsuit should be dismissed, or else sent to arbitration, court records show.
Debrahlee Lorenzana, a 33-year-old mother, alleged that management had warned her not to dress like her female co-workers because her "shapeliness" upset her "easily distracted" male colleagues and supervisors.
The lawsuit was filed in November 2009 but it received new attention after The Village Voice newspaper published an article about the 1.68-meter, 57-kilogram Lorenzana.
According to the complaint, soon after beginning work in September 2008 at a Citibank branch in Manhattan's Chrysler building, Lorenzana was advised by supervisors not to wear turtlenecks, pencil skirts and fitted suits because her figure made such attire "too distracting" for male workers to bear.
Lorenzana said management told her that female co-workers were not similarly told what to wear because their "general unattractiveness rendered moot their sartorial choices."
Efforts to dress down did not end management's complaints, the single mother told the Voice. "I could have worn a paper bag, and it would not have mattered," she said.
Lorenzana was eventually fired in August 2009, for reasons including "inappropriate" attire and a failure to meet new account quotas, the complaint said.
Citigroup rejected Lorenzana's charges. "Her termination was solely performance-based and not at all related to her appearance or attire," the bank said in a statement.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
