Morgan Stanley settles sexual harassment lawsuit

The corporate logo of financial firm Morgan Stanley on the company’s world headquarters in New York, New York January 20, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Segar

(Reuters) – Morgan Stanley & Co has settled a harassment lawsuit by a former trading associate who claimed he was subjected to inappropriate comments about his sexual orientation, inappropriate touching, sexual advances and offensive comments about his religion.

Mahmoud Latif, who is openly gay and Muslim, and Morgan Stanley are working on a final settlement agreement, according to a Wednesday letter from a lawyer for the Wall Street bank.

U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan dismissed the case, subject to completion of the agreement this month.

Abraham Melamed, a lawyer for Latif from the Derek Smith Law Group, declined to comment. Morgan Stanley declined to comment. The bank’s lawyers include Kimberley Lunetta of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.

Latif said Morgan Stanley fired him in August 2018 after one year of employment in retaliation for his complaints about discrimination and harassment.

He said he had begun reporting incidents, including a female supervisor’s alleged effort to perform oral sex on him in a meeting room, to the bank’s human resources department in February 2018, but his complaints were not addressed.

Latif said Morgan Stanley put him on administrative leave in July 2018 for allegedly violating its code of conduct, and fired him two weeks later. He sued in December 2018.

The case is Latif v. Morgan Stanley & Co, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 18-cv-11528.

For plaintiff: Abraham Melamed of the Derek Smith Law Group.

For Morgan Stanley: Kimberley Lunetta of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.