The former Chief Financial Officer of Real Brokerage has filed a federal lawsuit alleging pregnancy and gender discrimination, claiming the company fired her to replace her with a less qualified male successor.

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the complaint states that the plaintiff informed Real Brokerage of her pregnancy in January 2024. By April, she was terminated “for cause” — a decision she contends was pretextual and discriminatory.

According to the filing, Real Brokerage cited an internal audit as justification, which alleged the CFO had improperly billed eight personal charges totaling $17,440 to a company card. The suit counters this claim, noting that $15,946 in airfare expenses were an unintentional oversight she offered to repay, and the remaining $1,493 in entertainment costs were tied to business. The plaintiff asserts these charges were not the real reason for her dismissal, but rather a fabricated rationale to obscure the company’s discriminatory actions.

The lawsuit alleges that soon after disclosing her pregnancy, the company began sidelining her—reassigning key responsibilities to colleagues without children and casting doubt on her ability to balance motherhood with her executive role. The suit describes these actions as part of a broader strategy to push her out.

On April 24, just one day after the plaintiff’s termination, Real Brokerage named Ravi Jani as its new CFO. Jani joined the firm in 2023 as VP of investor relations and FP&A, having previously worked at Citadel and in investment banking at Bank of America and Moelis & Company.

The plaintiff, who joined Real Brokerage in 2020 when its revenue stood at $16 million, is credited with helping scale the business to over $1.3 billion in annual revenue. Despite her role in the company’s exponential growth, she claims she was removed due to her decision to start a family and to raise concerns over potentially unlawful company conduct.

The lawsuit seeks relief including a declaration that Real Brokerage violated the Family and Medical Leave Act, along with back pay and compensation for future lost wages and benefits. Real Brokerage has declined to comment on the litigation.

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Source: Hrdive.com