A white Bank of America executive was forced to resign after being discriminated against while caring for his ailing mother, a lawsuit has claimed.
Robert Zullo, 55, was allegedly told he would 'never work in the banking industry again' during a confrontation with his boss, AJ Venit, in August 2025. The bank has pledged to fight all the allegations, which it says are false.
Zullo had relocated from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Albany, New York, to care for his mom. He claimed he got permission from Karen Cheney, his former supervisor, allowing him to intermittently work out of the Albany office while being a caretaker, the federal lawsuit stated.
Zullo alleges that he informed Cheney in May 2024 of his mother's condition. The lawsuit claims Cheney said she submitted a request on behalf of her employee to allow him to travel back and forth, which HR later denied.
The 55-year-old said Cheney then 'verbally authorized an alternative arrangement' in July 2024, allowing him to badge into the Albany office so he could maintain his work while being out of state.
For a year, Zullo followed this protocol and was 'marked as compliant' on the manager dashboard, the lawsuit stated. The former senior vice president worked in the compliance and operational risk division.
'During that period, Zullo received no reprimand, counseling, or warning regarding his attendance or location, and he received expanded responsibilities and a performance award,' the lawsuit, which was filed last week, stated.
Zullo also claimed a young, African American employee, who was also worked under Venit, was allowed to 'permanently' relocate to New Jersey to care for a family member, the lawsuit said.
Robert Zullo, 55, claimed he was forced to resign from his job at Bank of America due to age and race discrimination
He claimed his former manager, Karen Cheney, had verbally agreed to allow him to work from the Albany, New York to care for his ailing mother
Despite the two men allegedly having similar approvals through their bosses, Zullo said he was put on an improvement plan, while the other individual was eventually promoted to senior vice president, the lawsuit said, which was lodged with a court in the Western District of North Carolina.
The 55-year-old also claimed that it was more favorable to promote his colleague, who would help fill 'diversity target percentages,' the lawsuit said.
In August 2025, Cheney allegedly reached out to Employee Relations seeking data that would support a 'verbal warning against Zullo,' the complaint said.
A few days later, Zullo allegedly informed Cheney that he was preparing to apply for a temporary leave to care for his mother, whose treatments were to start in September 2025.
He later submitted the request, asking to relocate to the Albany office to live with his mother, the lawsuit claimed. A day later, he says he got a letter stating that he had to work three full days in the Charlotte office.
Zullo was later pulled into a meeting with both managers, where Venit accused him of using the Albany office without permission and dismissed his caregiving application without any alternative, the lawsuit stated.
Venit told Zullo that he would be 'gone in 30 days, we just have to follow the paperwork process,' the lawsuit said. In the same meeting, Venit allegedly told his employee he would never work in banking again.
Zullo claimed that his boss, AJ Venit, pictured, said he would 'never work in the banking industry again' during an August 2025 confrontation
Zullo filed an ethics and compliance complaint, claiming he was treated unequally and had been discriminated against based on age and race.
Just days later, Zullo was put on a performance improvement plan (PIP), citing 'low performance and lack of productivity' as the reason, the lawsuit stated.
It also warned that he could be terminated at any time.
The PIP also blocked his ability to apply for FMLA and other leaves, meaning he was prevented from using it just weeks before his mother's treatment, Zullo claimed.
On August 20, 2025, Zullo resigned from his position.
'A reasonable person in Zullo’s position would have felt compelled to resign. Zullo resigned approximately four months before he would have qualified for substantial retirement vesting and equity benefits,' the lawsuit said.
Bank of America told the Daily Mail it denied the allegations. Daily Mail contacted Venit and Cheney for comment. Neither are listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
'We provide flexibility and leave accommodations for all employees, however, Mr Zullo repeatedly failed to comply with company policy, and we strongly disagree with this account,' a spokesperson said.
'We look forward to presenting the facts through the appropriate legal channels.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to Zullo for comment.
