03 June,2010 12:45 PM IST | | Agencies
A female employee of Citibank was apparently fired from her job because her male colleagues found her 'too distracting'.
Debrahlee Lorenzana said that despite her turnout being professional, her male bosses and co-workers still found her too hot be around their cold cash.
"Shortly after the commencement of her employment, branch manager Craig Fisher and assistant branch manager Peter Claibourne began articulating inappropriate and sexist comments concerning plaintiff's clothing and appearance," The New York Post quoted her court filings as saying.
"The improper comments made to plaintiff by Fisher and Claibourne included, but were not limited to, advising her that she must refrain from wearing certain items of clothing, in particular, turtleneck tops, pencil skirts, fitted business suits, or other properly tailored clothing.
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"In blatantly discriminatory fashion, plaintiff was advised that as a result of the shape of her figure, such clothes were purportedly 'too distracting' for her male colleagues and supervisors to bear."
The filing also read, "In a regressive response more suitable for reality television than a white-shoe corporation in the 21st century, plaintiff was advised that these other comparator females may wear what they like, as their general unattractiveness rendered moot their sartorial choices, unlike plaintiff, whose shapeliness could not be heightened by beautifully tailored clothing."
After rejecting a complaint and an application to be transferred, she was eventually moved to a new branch, she was reprimanded for failing to recruit new customers.
"The purported reasons for plaintiff's termination included that she failed to meet the required new account opening quotas, in addition to the credulity-straining assertion that her clothing choices were inappropriate," the suit said.
"Are you saying that just because I look this way genetically, that this should be a curse for me?" she told the Village Voice, which first reported her case.
In a statement, Citibank said, "We believe this lawsuit is without merit and we will defend against it vigorously."
Citibank has not commented for reasons of employee privacy but added that the bank has "a strong commitment to diversity and we do not condone, or tolerate, discrimination within our business for any reason."
