A white former Bank of America executive claims his bosses threatened to destroy his career and forced him out for relocating to care for his ailing mother — while a younger black colleague was allowed to move to attend to a dependent’s needs without facing discipline, according to a bombshell lawsuit.
Robert Zullo, 55, a former BofA senior vice president, alleges that his superior, AJ Venit, warned him he “would never work in the banking industry again” during an August 2025 confrontation over Zullo relocating from Charlotte, NC, to Albany, NY, to care for his parent.
Venit also allegedly warned Zullo that he would be “gone in 30 days, we just have to follow the paperwork process,” according to the 23-page complaint filed Friday in federal court in Charlotte, NC.
The banking giant rejected the allegations.
“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 Bank of America spokesperson told The Post.
“We look forward to presenting the facts through the appropriate legal channels.”
Zullo, who worked in the bank’s compliance and operational risk division, alleges in the lawsuit that he faced discrimination because of his race and age while younger colleagues — including a black employee who was later promoted — were allowed more flexible work arrangements without discipline.
Zullo alleges that his bosses had a financial incentive to favor black employees because portions of their annual bonuses were tied to diversity targets — and that the black employee counted toward those goals while he did not.
That employee was allegedly allowed to relocate permanently from Charlotte to New Jersey because of a dependent’s needs, bypassing the bank’s formal flexible-work approval process, according to the complaint.
Venit and Zullo’s direct supervisor, Karen Cheney, approved the move, according to the complaint.
The black employee, whom Zullo says was in his 30s, was not required to report to a bank office in New Jersey and was later promoted to senior vice president, according to the suit.
Zullo, meanwhile, claims he was disciplined despite receiving verbal permission from Cheney in July 2024 to work intermittently from the bank’s Albany office while caring for his ailing mother, according to the papers.
His mother suffered from serious medical conditions affecting her vision, cognitive abilities and mobility, with extensive outpatient treatment scheduled to begin in September 2025, according to the filing.
The arrangement continued for roughly a year without disciplinary action, while the bank’s weekly manager dashboard consistently marked Zullo as compliant, according to the suit.
Still, Cheney contacted human resources on Aug. 6, 2025 seeking “additional facts and data” to support a warning over his attendance, acknowledging that “the current reporting indicates compliance,” according to the suit.
A week later, Bank of America issued a disciplinary letter alleging that Zullo had failed to spend three full days a week at his assigned office in Charlotte, the complaint said.
The bank allegedly said its records showed he had badged into Albany and connected remotely from residential locations.
The reprimand came a day after Zullo applied to make Albany his assigned office so he could live with his ailing mother, the banker said.
At an Aug. 14 meeting, Venit allegedly accused Zullo of using the Albany office without permission and refused to let his application reach a review committee.
Cheney declined to confirm that she had authorized the arrangement a year earlier, according to the complaint.
Zullo filed an internal ethics complaint alleging race and age discrimination the following day.
Four days later, Cheney and Venit placed him on a performance improvement plan citing “low performance and lack of productivity” and warning: “TERMINATION CAN TAKE PLACE AT ANY TIME,” the suit said.
Zullo claims the move was retaliatory and violated a bank policy requiring pending employment actions to be paused after an ethics complaint.
He pointed to consistently satisfactory job evaluations, expanded responsibilities and a performance award from Cheney just three months earlier.
The bank also canceled his pending flexible-work application, while the plan allegedly blocked him from applying for family medical leave, temporary leave or internal transfers as his mother prepared for six months of medical treatment scheduled to begin in September 2025.
Zullo resigned on Aug. 20, 2025, claiming his bosses had already decided to fire him. His departure came roughly four months before he would have qualified for substantial retirement vesting and equity benefits, according to the complaint.
The Post has sought comment from Zullo.
