A former Bank of America executive claims he was pushed out of his job after facing age and race discrimination while trying to care for his seriously ill mother, according to a federal lawsuit.
Robert Zullo, 55, alleges that his supervisor, AJ Venit, told him during an August 2025 confrontation that he would “never work in the banking industry again.” Bank of America has denied the accusations and said it intends to vigorously defend itself against what it describes as unfounded claims.
Zullo moved from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Albany, New York, to look after his mother. He said Karen Cheney, his former manager, approved an arrangement that allowed him to work periodically from the Albany office while serving as her caregiver, according to the federal complaint.
The lawsuit says Zullo told Cheney about his mother’s medical condition in May 2024. Cheney allegedly submitted a request allowing him to travel between locations, but the company’s human resources department later rejected it.
Zullo claims Cheney then gave him verbal approval in July 2024 for an alternative setup: he could badge into the Albany office while living outside North Carolina and continue performing his duties.
According to the complaint, Zullo followed that arrangement for roughly a year and was listed as “compliant” on his manager’s dashboard. At the time, he was a senior vice president in Bank of America’s 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, filed last week, states.
Zullo also alleges that a younger African American employee who reported to Venit was allowed to relocate permanently to New Jersey to care for a relative, the complaint says.
Robert Zullo, 55, alleges that age and race discrimination led to his resignation from Bank of America
He claims his former manager, Karen Cheney, verbally approved his work arrangement from the Albany, New York, office while he cared for his ailing mother
Although Zullo says both employees received comparable approval from their managers, he was placed on a performance improvement plan while his colleague was later promoted to senior vice president, according to the lawsuit filed in the Western District of North Carolina.
Zullo further claims that advancing the younger employee was viewed as more beneficial because it would help the company meet “diversity target percentages,” the complaint says.
In August 2025, Cheney allegedly contacted Employee Relations to seek information that could support issuing Zullo a “verbal warning,” according to the lawsuit.
Several days later, Zullo says he told Cheney he planned to request temporary leave to care for his mother, whose medical treatments were scheduled to begin in September 2025.
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He subsequently filed the request and asked to work from the Albany office so he could live with his mother, the complaint alleges. The following day, he says, he received a letter directing him to work three full days each week from the Charlotte office.
Zullo was later summoned to a meeting with both managers. During the meeting, Venit allegedly accused him of using the Albany office without authorization and rejected his caregiving request without offering another option, according to the lawsuit.
Venit allegedly told Zullo, “You’ll be gone in 30 days, we just have to follow the paperwork process.” The lawsuit also claims Venit warned him that he would never work in the banking industry again.
Zullo alleges that his boss, AJ Venit, pictured, told him he would “never work in the banking industry again” during an August 2025 dispute
Zullo then filed an ethics and compliance complaint, alleging that he had been treated differently from colleagues and discriminated against because of his age and race.
The lawsuit states that he was placed on a performance improvement plan just days later. The plan cited “low performance and lack of productivity” as its justification.
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.