Overview

• At a July 8–9 preliminary hearing, Judge McCooey denied Stanislav Stepchuk’s bid to keep his identity private while granting anonymity to the junior colleague referred to as Colleague A.
• Stepchuk is suing Merrill Lynch International for sex discrimination, harassment, age discrimination and unfair dismissal following his January 2024 sacking over an inappropriate sexual relationship and alleged threats.
• An internal disciplinary process found the relationship consensual but concluded that Stepchuk had acted inappropriately and threatened his junior colleague.
• Evidence showed Stepchuk began exchanging sexually explicit WhatsApp messages with Colleague A in early 2023 and sent an unsolicited intimate photograph four days into their communications.
• A full employment tribunal on his claims is scheduled to start later this month at the Central London Employment Tribunal, testing corporate handling of harassment complaints and privacy versus open justice.