Eleanor Marie Coleman sued her ex-supervisor at Bank J. Safra Sarasin, where she worked at the lender’s Hong Kong branch. Coleman is seeking more than US$174,669, alleging that her former supervisor spoke disparagingly about her pregnancy and family.
Coleman also alleges that the bank gave her a termination letter and asked that she sign it while still on sick leave or face the prospect of not being employed or being denied a Monetary Authority license. Coleman’s lawyers charge that the bank violated Hong Kong’s Sex Discrimination Ordinance and Disability Discrimination Ordinance. Coleman came to the bank as a director/vice president July 2016, and in February the following year became pregnant. She was fired April 28, 2017.