Ex-Wells Fargo exec in Charlotte sues bank, claiming racial, ADA discrimination
A former Wells Fargo executive in Charlotte is suing the bank in federal court, claiming he was fired after raising internal complaints about unequal treatment of Black employees, along with his own disability-discrimination claims.
Jamelle Cuthbertson, a 38-year-old Charlotte resident, filed the lawsuit May 27 in the Charlotte division of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. He claims Wells Fargo violated multiple federal and North Carolina laws in its handling of his employment.
Cuthbertson also claimed that the bank violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by rescinding his work-from-home medical accommodation and subsequently disciplining him for relying on it.
And Cuthbertson claimed that Wells Fargo violated family and medical leave laws by terminating him during approved paternity leave and withholding his pay.
The suit includes allegations of racial discrimination. Cuthbertson, who is Black, claimed he was treated less favorably than white colleagues and faced a hostile work environment after he filed an ethics complaint internally with the bank in February 2024 and with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in December 2025.
The internal complaint and the EEOC charge centered on discrimination regarding paternity leave, disability and race.
“We disagree with the allegations and intend to defend against them,” the bank said in a statement about the lawsuit. The San Francisco-based bank employs approximately 27,000 people in the Charlotte region, which is its largest employment hub.
Lawyers for Cuthbertson did not respond to a request for comment.
Wells Fargo discrimination bias claims detailed in suit
Cuthbertson worked for Wells Fargo for seven years and previously served as a vice president and lead business accountability specialist, according to his lawsuit. During his time with the bank, Cuthbertson met or exceeded expectations on his performance reviews, the suit stated.
In November 2022, Cuthbertson underwent quadruple-bypass open-heart surgery after experiencing cardiac complications a few months earlier.
When he resumed work in January 2023, the bank approved a work-from-home accommodation for his cardiac condition. He reported to a 38-year bank veteran who previously served as a senior vice president and mentored Cuthbertson, he stated in his suit
While he was away, the bank underwent leadership changes that introduced a new manager to his uptown office. According to the court filing, she insisted on meeting in person with the team, which consisted mostly of Black employees.
Cuthbertson’s performance rating was also downgraded without a clear explanation, he said in the suit.
The new manager then brought on a new direct supervisor who allegedly made racially charged comments and stripped Cuthbertson of high-profile projects. Prior to taking over the role, the new direct supervisor asked the previous supervisor: “Is it true that your whole team is Black?” and “Do you have any white people on your team?” according to the suit.
In January 2024, the bank gave Cuthbertson his first negative end-of-year review, according to court documents. In response, Cuthbertson filed an internal discrimination and retaliation complaint. An external investigator looked into the matter, which ultimately led to his direct supervisor being fired in August 2024.
Wells Fargo subsequently rescinded Cuthbertson’s negative performance rating and restored his withheld bonus the suit said. The lawsuit does not cite a dollar amount.
Cuthbertson’s new top manager remained in place as his superior.
In March 2024, Wells Fargo began targeting Cuthbertson’s remote-work arrangement despite his doctor’s recommendations, according to the suit.
The bank required him to follow a return-to-office schedule that mandated being in the office three days a week. Wells Fargo did not offer him accommodations beyond what standard hybrid workers received, Cutherbtson claimed.
In April 2025, he took a bank-approved 16-week paternity leave. After 21 days, the bank eliminated his position due to “future organizational structure,” according to the lawsuit.
His employment ended in late July. He claimed that white workers facing layoffs were reassigned to other positions within the company, while he was not. Other Black employees who participated in the internal discrimination investigation were also laid off, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit did not provide specific numbers regarding the layoffs.
Former Wells Fargo executive seeks legal compensation
Cuthbertson alleged in his suit that he was initially unable to receive unemployment benefits because the bank falsely reported he had voluntarily quit. This delayed his benefits until he was able to prove he had been laid off, the complaint stated.
Cuthbertson is demanding a jury trial and compensation for back pay, lost wages, lost benefits, legal fees, denied displacement pay, emotional distress and mental anguish. Cuthbertson also is asking for his job to be reinstated or to receive pay for future economic losses.
Other discrimination allegations against Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo has faced prior allegations of discrimination tied to its workers and home-lending practices. In 2022, Bloomberg reported that its analysis found the bank denied more than half of Black homeowners who sought to refinance in 2020. The report prompted U.S. senators to call for additional scrutiny from federal regulators.
At the time, Wells Fargo told the Observer that the report “ignored critical information about Wells Fargo’s lending to Black homeowners and the full range of our efforts to help meet the homeownership needs of diverse customers.”
In October, the bank agreed to pay $85 million to settle a three-year class-action legal battle in California over claims that it held fake job interviews to meet diversity targets. The suit claimed that from February 2021 to June 2022, interviews with diverse candidates were “shams,” often held even though another candidate had already been selected for the role.
In another case, senior finance manager Beth Arbuckle sued the bank in federal court in December 2024, claiming she was penalized for wanting to work from home in the Charlotte area for serious health reasons, including lupus and an eye disease. In March, a federal judge denied the bank’s motion to dismiss the case.
