The case, brought by plaintiff Jaylynn Dean, was the first trial – known as a “bellwether” – of more than 3,000 similar lawsuits against Uber that have been consolidated in federal court. Bellwether trials are used to test legal theories and help gauge the value of claims for possible settlements.

The jury found that the driver was an agent of Uber, so the company was responsible for his actions. They awarded Dean $8.5 million in compensatory damages but declined to award punitive damages. Attorneys for Dean had sought more than $140 million in damages.

The case, brought by plaintiff Jaylynn Dean, was the first trial – known as a “bellwether” – of more than 3,000 similar lawsuits against Uber that have been consolidated in federal court. REUTERS

In a statement, an Uber spokesperson noted that the jury rejected Dean’s other claims, that the company was negligent or that its safety systems were defective, adding that the company plans to appeal. “This verdict affirms that Uber acted responsibly and has invested meaningfully in rider safety,” the spokesperson said.

Sarah London, an attorney for Dean, said the verdict “validates the thousands of survivors who have come forward at great personal risk to demand accountability against Uber for its focus on profit over passenger safety.”

Uber shares fell 0.5% in extended trading following announcement of the verdict.

Dean, an Oklahoma resident, sued Uber in 2023, one month after her alleged assault in Arizona. She said Uber was aware of a wave of sexual assaults committed by its drivers, but had failed to take basic actions to improve the safety of its riders. Such assertions have long dogged the company, drawing headlines and congressional scrutiny.

Alexandra Walsh, an attorney for Dean, said during the trial’s closing arguments that Uber had marketed itself as a safe option for women traveling at night, particularly if they had been drinking.

An Uber spokesperson noted that the jury rejected Dean’s other claims, that the company was negligent or that its safety systems were defective, adding that the company plans to appeal. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, above. Getty Images

“Women know it’s a dangerous world. We know about the risk of sexual assault,” Walsh said. “They made us believe that this was a place that was safe from that.”

Uber says not responsible for driver actions

Uber, which has faced numerous safety controversies, including allegations of lax driver vetting and a culture critics said prioritized growth over passenger protection, has argued that it should not be held liable for criminal conduct by drivers who use its platform, saying that its background checks and disclosures about assaults are sufficient.

Uber has argued that it should not be held liable for criminal conduct by drivers who use its platform, saying that its background checks and disclosures about assaults are sufficient. Diego – stock.adobe.com

The company maintains that its drivers are independent contractors rather than employees, and that regardless of their classification it cannot be responsible for actions that fall outside the scope of what could reasonably be considered their duties.

“He had no criminal history. None,” Kim Bueno, an attorney for Uber, said of the driver during closing arguments, noting that he had 10,000 trips on the app and a nearly perfect rating from riders. “Was this foreseeable to Uber? And the answer to that has to be no.”

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Dean’s lawsuit said she was intoxicated when she hired an Uber driver to take her from her boyfriend’s home to her hotel.

The driver asked her harassing questions on the ride before stopping the car and raping her, Dean alleged in the lawsuit.

Uber is also facing more than 500 cases in California state court. Rival Lyft is facing similar lawsuits in both state and federal court, Tada Images – stock.adobe.com

US District Judge Charles Breyer, who normally sits on the bench in San Francisco, oversaw Dean’s case in Phoenix. Breyer is managing all of the similar federal cases against Uber, which have been centralized in his court in San Francisco.

The company is also facing more than 500 cases in California state court. In the only one of those cases to go to trial so far, a jury in September sided with Uber. The jury found that while the company had been negligent with its safety measures, that negligence was not a substantial factor in causing the woman’s harm.

Uber rival Lyft is facing similar lawsuits in both state and federal court, although there is no coordinated federal litigation for those claims. Shares of Lyft were down 1% after the verdict.

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The third-largest US bank petitioned the federal court in Austin, Texas, to move Julia Carreon’s case behind closed doors, one day after the former head of wealth platforms and experiences sued Citigroup for unspecified damages in Manhattan.

Carreon accused Sieg of repeated and public sexual harassment, including his allegedly insinuating they were intimate and telling colleagues that he and she shared a “special song,” and said the bank’s “weaponized” human resources department campaigned to force her out.

Julkia Carreon, a former managing director at Citigroup , sued the bank over alleged sexual harassment by wealth management chief Andy Sieg. He is not a defendant in Carreon’s lawsuit. Bloomberg via Getty Images

But in Tuesday’s petition, Citigroup said “there is absolutely no factual or legal basis” to claim Sieg sexually harassed Carreon.

The New York-based bank also said Carreon “remained steadfast in her praise for Mr. Sieg” several months after she claimed his harassment began, and through her final days at the bank before her June 7, 2024, departure.

In one example, Citigroup said Carreon allegedly wrote to Sieg on May 29, 2024: “You are truly one of the most exceptional people & leaders I’ve ever met. Your integrity is irreproachable…. They are so lucky to have you.”

The day before she left, according to Citigroup, Carreon wrote Sieg and another top wealth executive: “Thank you both for attempting to change the culture. It’s not easy. Particularly not for change makers. Tmrw is my last day. Appreciate you. Can’t wait to watch the great things you’ll do.”

Carreon accused Sieg of repeated and public sexual harassment, including his allegedly insinuating they were intimate and telling colleagues that he and she shared a “special song,” LinkedIn

Carreon’s lawyer Linda Friedman said her client is a “strong person” who looks forward to her day in court.

“Citi’s retaliatory filing of a lawsuit against Ms. Carreon after she sued the firm for gender and racial discrimination speaks eloquently to the bullying and intimidation tactics Wall Street firms routinely employ against women or people of color who have the courage to seek reform,” Friedman added.

Citigroup said Carreon agreed when she was hired in 2021 and again in 2022 to be bound by its arbitration policy.

Citigroup said Carreon agreed when she was hired in 2021 and again in 2022 to be bound by its arbitration policy. ullstein bild via Getty Images

In March 2022, former President Joe Biden signed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, which prohibits companies from forcing employees with sexual harassment claims into arbitration.

Sieg is one of Citigroup Chief Executive Jane Fraser’s highest-profile hires. He is not a defendant in Carreon’s lawsuit. Carreon lived and worked in Austin while employed at Citigroup, the bank said.

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A group of regular Kalshi users, some of whom are self-professed addicts, have filed a class-action lawsuit against the prediction market over its claims that it is not a betting platform.

Alexander Hallman, Jeremy Kravetz, Daniel Greenberg, Nathaniel Bee, and Abhijn Gutta are the plaintiffs, who have all reportedly lost money to Kalshi through various means. Part of this is “related deceptive and misleading business practices,” which have been highlighted online in its advertisements.

One advert detailed in the suit positions Kalshi as a way to get out of debt. The advertisement features a woman unable to pay her rent, but then “got two years of rent through Kalshi’s predictions.” However, this has not been independently verified by ReadWrite.

This ad I had not seen before was in the new class action against Kalshi.

I think we should all be able to agree on this: Advertising that if you are short on money, prediction markets are a good idea to fix that problem is at best misguided and at worst evil. pic.twitter.com/9To9JXhJuU

— Dustin Gouker (@DustinGouker) January 14, 2026

Other claims of Kalshi not being a gambling platform have been poked by the suit, as it highlights other adverts that use gambling terms.

As for the self-professed addicts, they accuse Kalshi of operating a sportsbook without any regulatory safeguards in place. As such, it’s been accused of encouraging “impulsive engagement,” as well as being exploitative and diminishing “user perception of financial risk.”

In particular, Kravetz, from Tennessee, is self-excluded from “all licensed legal sportsbooks” in the state. Kravetz claims that the lack of preventative measures from Kalshi prevents him from accessing the site. He unfortunately fell victim to their vices and went on to lose thousands.

The other advertisements in the lawsuit proclaim legality across all 50 states, which is technically true. As it’s still legally a “prediction market” and not an official “sportsbook,” Kalshi, Polymarket, and their partners can operate wherever they please.

Kalshi continues to wade through legal turmoil

Kalshi has been in embittered legal battles with certain indigenous tribes across the US, who claim that they’re running remote gambling or sportsbooks in states where they should be in control of it.

Kalshi and other prediction markets, Polymarket, have been heavily scrutinized in the last few months over their methods. Individual states trying to tackle what they call a new form of gambling are in a constant push and pull with the platforms. Despite this, Kalshi now has partnerships with NFL on FOX, and Polymarket has now been allowed to operate from within the US.

ReadWrite has reached out to Kalshi for comment.

Featured image: Kalshi

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Often quite strict on upholding the law, it’s no wonder that the PAGCOR chief has issued a press release on the matter. The company involved, Nationstar Development Corporation, was founded by the chairman in 2015. It’s believed that his relationship with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., might have had some influence on the decision.

However, the PAGCOR head detailed multiple builds that had been completed since 2015, including a high school and “modular hospitals” deployed during the pandemic. Tengco’s children now run Nationstar, and 14 of the government contracts it has managed to secure have generated P7.1 billion ($120,221,815) since 2022.

The palace has now commented on the matter, with the Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro speaking to reporters: “If this went through the proper process and if this company is still connected to Al Tengco, then we’ll just base our assessment on that.

“It would probably be better if, when someone makes an accusation, they present evidence for review.”

PAGCOR chief in hot water over exposé

The accusations stem from news outlet Rappler, which points out that since Marcos Jr. took over from the Duterte administration, contracts have “more than tripled”. Speaking with Rappler, former finance undersecretary and budget expert Cielo Magno said:

“He is not absolved because a head of a GOCC is a public official. Section 3(b) of Republic Act 3019 prohibits public officials from having a financial or pecuniary interest in any business that deals with the government.”

The PAGCOR head said: “As a legitimate business entity, Nationstar has previous and ongoing contracts with both the government and the private sector, including many local government units.

“These projects have established our goodwill or reputation in the industry and thus, the subsequent projects awarded to us.”

Featured image: PAGCOR, Pexels

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Musk said in a podcast interview on “A Different Conversation with Nikhil Kamath” released Sunday that the widespread deployment of AI and robotics are the only ways to address the large and growing national debt. 

“I think that’s pretty much the only thing that’s going to solve for the US debt crisis, because currently the US debt is insanely high,” Musk said. “The interest payments on the debt exceed the entire military budget of the United States – just the interest payments, and that’s at least in the short-term going to continue to increase.”

“So I think actually the only thing that can solve for the debt situation is AI and robotics,” he added. “It probably would cause significant deflation because deflation or inflation is really the ratio of goods and services produced to the change in the money supply.”

Musk said that because AI and robotics could lead to a significant increase in output, it would likely lead to deflation – which is the opposite of inflation and results in a decrease in the price level.

“If you have AI and robotics, and a dramatic increase in the output of goods and services, probably you will have deflation. That seems likely. Because you simply won’t be able to increase the money supply as fast as you can increase the output of goods and services,” he said.

Elon Musk said AI robotics can solve America’s debt problem. REUTERS

The Tesla CEO was asked about the current level of inflation, which remains elevated relative to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, and said that AI hasn’t boosted productivity enough yet to cause deflation.

“AI has not yet made enough of an impact on productivity to increase the goods and services faster than the money supply. The US is increasing the money supply quite substantially with deficits that are on the order of $2 trillion, so you have to have goods and services output more than that in order to not have inflation,” he said.

“We’re not there yet, but if you say ‘how long would it take us to get there,’ I think it’s three years. Probably three years – in three years or less, my guess is goods and services growth will exceed money supply growth in about three years,” Musk added.

Musk also said he thinks the proliferation of AI and robotics will remake the economy and the monetary system overall. REUTERS

The tech billionaire also said he thinks the proliferation of AI and robotics will remake the economy and the monetary system overall.

“I think at a certain point you decouple from the sort of conventional economy if you have AI and robots producing chips and solar panels and mining resources in order to make chips and robots… You sort of complete that cycle, once that cycle is complete, I think that’s the point at which you decouple from the monetary system,” Musk said.

Musk was asked if that’s the way forward for the US addressing its national debt, and the Tesla CEO noted, “In this future that I’m talking about, the notion of countries becomes sort of anachronistic.”

A display in October showing the national debt, which is “insanely high,” Musk said.. AFP via Getty Images

“These are just what I think will happen based on what I see, as opposed to these are fundamentally good things, and I’m trying to make them happen,” he said. “I think this would happen without me, whether I like it or not. As long as civilization keeps advancing, we will have AI and robotics at very large scale.”

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The MGA has published a notice, warning consumers about a list of sites claiming to have connections with the authority or false licenses from it. The organization has emphasized that any reference to the MGA or gaming licences said to be issued by the MGA from the listed websites is “false and misleading”.

The websites in question are:

• immediate-connect.co.uk
• pangagames.com
• casino1bet.online
• palmsbet1.com
• flexiblesport.com
• casino-europa.eu

Any links or claims to licenses from the MGA should be discounted from any of the above sites. That likely means they are operating gambling services in the country illegally.

“The MGA would like to remind consumers not to utilise services provided by an entity unless they have ascertained that the entity in question is authorised to provide such services by the MGA,” reads the statement from the gambling authority. “The gaming regulatory framework obliges authorised persons to comply with strict legal requirements in the interest of consumers.

“The activities of unlicensed entities are unregulated and do not provide the necessary safeguards delineated by virtue of the framework, making transactions with such entities risky for consumers.”

The MGA has also shared a list of licensed entities for consumers to browse here.

This comes after we reported on the Filipino online casino PHLove, which claimed it was licensed by the Maltese authority. The MGA said in a press release that it had “no connection” to the site, along with the usual warnings you see about unlicensed operators.

Malta’s regulator denied links to PHLove. Credit: PHLove / MGA

But when we looked through each commission’s public lists and databases, we couldn’t find any evidence that PHLove was licensed by any of them. After our report, the Philippines based watchdog PAGCOR said it had begun investigating the site. Despite this, at the time of writing, the site continues to claim that it is licensed by the authorities.

PHLove promotes itself as regulated by several international gaming authorities. Credit: PHLove

Why is it important to use licensed operators?

Gamblers should always take every step possible to ensure they’re using licensed operators to protect both themselves and others. Illegal gambling operators don’t have to take the same regulatory steps to protect users from gambling-related harm, or to safeguard any funds they’re holding for users.

This can leave gamblers vulnerable to theft, fraud, or any number of connected crimes. It could also result in the loss of personal information or financial data in some cases.

ReadWrite has reached out to the MGA for comment.

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

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In an announcement made on popular gaming chat app Discord, Ketola, who goes by Monarch online, claimed that “We are under attack.”

He reasons that this comes just as Duel released 100% Return to Player (RTP) games. RTP is the percentage of cash that’s returned on a win. For instance, 95% RTP on a dollar would net you 95 cents.

The statement reads like a lot of those commonly found in online communities associated with Ketola. He mentions that he is “fighting multiple Matrix attacks.” The use of “The Matrix” as a metaphor for larger societal systems has been popularized by online figures such as Andrew Tate and others who encourage their audiences to “break free” from it.

Screenshot of Monarch’s October 2025 Discord post claiming account bans were part of a coordinated “Matrix attack.”

Ketola writes: “We are a threat to their profits. Looks like they have declared war. More updates on the situation later, fighting multiple Matrix attacks.

“Make no mistake, we are at war. Do your part. Sound the alarm. They can take me down, but they can’t take down the mission.

“Traditional crypto casinos WILL lose BILLIONS of dollars due to Duel, I promise you that much. They can keep banning accounts, but they can’t stop all of you from spreading the word.”

Who is Ossi Ketola?

Ossi Ketola is an internet personality who became known for running a Counter-Strike skin gambling site, CSGOEmpire.

He has since gained notoriety for his online behavior, as well as his recent entry into the poker world.

Monarch claims he’s under attack

Screenshot from a Kick livestream showing Monarch typing a message about being “poisoned” and “deplatformed” while addressing viewers.

On a stream on Kick, a platform affiliated with Stake.com, Ketola claimed that someone may have paid to have him banned. In a Notepad message displayed during the broadcast, he wrote:

“///They/// not only poisoned me with COVID and deplatformed me, but also sabotaged my microphone.”

The use of triple slashes (“///They///”) has been associated online with antisemitic symbolism. This phrasing is consistent with controversial language Ketola has used in past online statements.

During the stream, Ketola appears seated in front of the camera and says, “I need to find different solutions. I don’t like being out of Twitter, I need a voice, I need a platform.”

While Ketola’s account was reportedly suspended for violating X’s terms of use, the specific reason for the suspension has not been confirmed. Under Elon Musk’s ownership, X has generally taken a more limited approach to content moderation compared to previous management.

How did Ossi Ketola make his money?

Ketola has made his money through the video game Counter-Strike by providing skin gambling through CSGOEmpire. He also plays poker and is active in the streaming world. However, a good amount of his money now comes from his gambling business, Duel.

From niche online community to the mainstream

Recently, Ketola has broken from the niche online community he has built around himself and breached into the mainstream. His record-breaking poker games, wherein he won a $12.7 million prize at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Jeju. He also lost to poker legend Daniel “Jungleman” Cates in another eye-popping game, where Ketola lost $15 million.

However, he got his start through the video game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Succeeded by Counter-Strike 2 in 2023, the game has various skins for weapons and items featured in the game. Using the tools available from developer Valve, which also owns the Steam storefront platform, Counter-Strike now has an economy worth $5 billion.

Ketola introduced CSGOEmpire in 2016, which allows players to gamble with these skins. CSGOEmpire’s X account was also caught up in the ban wave, with Ketola’s main business now without its most prominent social media platform.

Valve recently introduced an update to Counter-Strike 2, which allows players to trade up for rarer items. This has since tanked the game’s economy, wiping out over a billion dollars, leaving it at the $5 billion it is now.

What is Ossi Ketola’s net worth?

Nobody knows exactly how much Ossi Ketola is worth, but it’s safe to say it’s a lot. Some analysts estimate his net worth to be between $25 and $50 million, thanks to huge poker wins such as the $12.7 million hand against Bjorn Li and the $10.99 million match with Alex Foxen.

But it’s not just poker money keeping him afloat. Ketola’s various business ventures reportedly far outweigh his poker earnings, which helps explain how he manages to handle the wild ups and downs of high-stakes games, including more than $17 million in reported losses.

ReadWrite has reached out to X for comment on the bans.

Featured image: Ossi Ketola via Kick

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An online group said that it was behind a number of recent hoax emergency calls that drew a heavy law enforcement response to college campuses across the United States and were timed to coincide with the start of the school year.

The group, which calls itself Purgatory, highlighted news media coverage of the recent hoaxes in a public-facing channel on Telegram, an encrypted messaging service often used by criminals.

The online group is suspected of being connected to several of the episodes, including reports of shootings, according to cybersecurity experts, law enforcement agencies and the group members’ own posts in a social media chat. The group’s claims could not be independently verified.

Federal authorities previously connected the same network to a series of bomb scares and bogus shooting reports in early 2024, for which three men pleaded guilty this year.

The spreading of false reports — a practice known as swatting — is intended to sow fear and chaos at educational and governmental institutions, as well as commercial places. Some swatting episodes have focused on the homes of politicians and other famous people.

Bragging about its recent activities, Purgatory said that it could arrange more swatting episodes for a fee.

For $95, it could have a school swatted, a menu of offerings posted by the group said. It was commanding $120 to target a mall, $140 for an airport and $150 for a hospital.

“If anyone is looking to purchase a swat right now we are available,” a group member wrote recently on Telegram.

Members of Purgatory could not be reached for comment, partly because the group’s hierarchy is unclear and also because its members appear to conceal their identities in online forums.

The group’s bid to take credit for the recent swatting episodes came after officers in tactical gear swarmed several college campuses as students and faculty members received alarming alerts advising them to shelter in place. Some barricaded themselves in buildings while the authorities combed campuses for attackers who did not exist.

Twice in the final weeks of August, Villanova University responded to reports of a gunman on campus, which later the authorities determined to be false. On Aug. 25, at least six colleges, including the University of Arkansas, experienced lockdowns for similar threats that turned out to be bogus. And on Wednesday, the false alarms continued at Auburn University in Alabama and Texas Tech University.

The F.B.I. declined to comment about Purgatory’s claims that it was responsible for the fake threats.

Purgatory did not specify which hoaxes it was responsible for. The group’s discussions about playing a role in recent swatting episodes were reported earlier by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, a nonprofit that tracks hate speech and extremism, and Wired.com.

On Telegram, some of the group’s members moved their discussions this week to a private chat.

Keven Hendricks, a cybercrime expert who teaches law enforcement officers how to investigate swatting, said in an interview that Purgatory seemingly shares ideology aligned with nihilistic, and sometimes violent, extremist groups like the Com, which has been involved in extortion and other criminal activities, according to the F.B.I.

Mr. Hendricks said that some of the people behind the fake reports were young men in their teens and early 20s who had streamed their activities online.

“A lot of them do it simply because they can get away with it,” Mr. Hendricks said. “I like to call it disorganized chaos. They try to one-up each other.”

At the University of Arkansas, a dispatcher received a call around 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 25 from someone saying that they were on the second floor of the Mullins Library as what sounded like gunfire erupted in the background, the authorities said.

The university sent an alert to people on campus, instructing them to avoid the library “due to an active shooter reported.” The campus was placed in a lockdown that lasted for two and a half hours as officers in tactical gear checked several buildings.

Matt Mills, the assistant chief of the University of Arkansas Police Department, said in an interview that the agency was aware that a group had taken credit for the rise in swatting episodes and that it was investigating.

“It’s frustrating to see stuff like that online from a law enforcement perspective,” Chief Mills said. “It’s not something that makes a lot of sense to me. I don’t know if they don’t understand the gravity and don’t care.”

While officers checked the buildings on campus, a group of people barricaded themselves in the basement of one of them.

“Having to check room by room that everybody is out and everybody is safe is very time consuming,” Chief Mills said.

A Villanova University spokeswoman declined to comment about the two shooting reports that law enforcement officers responded to on campus, saying that the investigation was continuing. She referred questions to the Radnor Township Police Department, which was handling the investigation.

The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither did the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, which said earlier that it would pursue those responsible for swatting the campus.

The recent hoaxes shared similarities with a half-dozen fake emergencies in January 2024 that the federal authorities said they had linked to Purgatory.

In one instance, a caller had threatened to burn down a trailer park in Alabama, telling a sheriff’s office that he had shot his son and would kill any law enforcement officers who attempted to respond, according to the Justice Department.

Two days later, the authorities said, members of the group placed two calls to the police in Newark, Del., telling the police that they had overheard gunfire in a hallway at a high school and threats to kill a teacher and students.

Investigators said that they had also connected the group to bogus threats, received three days apart, to bomb a casino in Columbus, Ohio, and Albany International Airport in New York.

In May 2024, federal authorities announced the indictment of three men on a variety of charges in connection with the series of threats, including conspiracy, cyberstalking, interstate threatening communications and threats to damage or destroy by means of fire and explosives.

All three of the men — Owen Jarboe, 19 of Hagerstown, Md.; Evan Strauss, 27, of Moneta, Va.; and Brayden Grace, 19, of Columbus, Ohio — pleaded guilty this year for their role in the calls.

On Aug. 15, a federal judge in Maryland sentenced Mr. Grace to nearly three years in prison. His lawyer, David Walsh-Little, said that Mr. Grace was in custody.

“He has no connection to any recent swatting incidences and he is extremely remorseful for his previous criminal conduct,” Mr. Walsh-Little said in an email on Wednesday.

Mr. Jarboe and Mr. Strauss are awaiting sentencing.

A lawyer for Mr. Jarboe said that he had been detained continuously since April 2024 and had no involvement in the recent swatting episodes. A lawyer for Mr. Strauss declined to comment.

Mr. Hendricks, the cybercrime expert, described swatting as a gateway crime, one that he said often involves the brazen online taunting of investigators.

He said the swatters operate under the premise that “they’re never going to get caught.”

The post An Online Group Claims It’s Behind Campus Swatting Wave appeared first on Our Story Insight.

Sieg, 58, told Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo on Wednesday that “the stories themselves are not accurate” and insisted the sweeping changes he’s imposed inside Citi were part of a deliberate restructuring.

“What I’d say overall is change is hard, and we’ve been driving a lot of change across Citi and in our wealth business. That change is working, I’m happy to say,” Sieg told “Mornings with Maria” on Wednesday.

Citigroup’s embattled wealth boss Andy Sieg brushed off reports that he terrorized colleagues with profanity-laced tirades. Getty Images

Sieg, 58, told Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo on Wednesday that “the stories themselves are not accurate.” Getty Images

“The quality of talent that has risen up inside Citi and joined our part of the business from outside has been phenomenal. So we’re moving ahead full speed.”

The comments came only days after Bloomberg revealed that Citi had hired powerhouse law firm Paul Weiss to probe Sieg’s alleged volcanic temper — with at least six managing directors accusing him of humiliating subordinates in front of colleagues.

Sources told the outlet Sieg allegedly unleashed expletive-filled rants, belittled staffers’ work as “pathetic” and once slammed a table so hard during a meeting that a male managing director broke down in tears.

Ida Liu, 49, who ran Citi’s private bank for nearly two decades before her sudden exit in January, was allegedly mistreated by Sieg. REUTERS

At the center of the claims is Sieg’s treatment of Ida Liu, 49, who ran Citi’s private bank for nearly two decades before her sudden exit in January. Liu previously held the same post Jane Fraser occupied on her path to CEO, making her departure particularly significant.

Witnesses told investigators Sieg openly mocked Liu in meetings, undermined her authority and made disparaging remarks about her both in public and private, Bloomberg reported.

After Liu’s exit, Sieg scrapped her job entirely and instead installed four male executives as regional co-heads reporting directly to him, according to Bloomberg.

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Sieg’s No. 2, chief operating officer Valentin Valderrabano, allegedly ordered another managing director to cut Liu out of key business correspondence, a move that further marginalized her role, the report said.

Another senior figure, wealth executive Kristen Bitterly, also lodged multiple complaints with human resources after allegedly facing Sieg’s wrath, according to the Bloomberg report.

Her predecessor, Naz Vahid, had already left last year after nearly four decades at the bank, partly due to concerns about Sieg’s conduct, Bloomberg reported.

Other staffers claimed Sieg would ridicule executives behind their backs — and sometimes to their faces — in front of peers.

Another senior figure, wealth executive Kristen Bitterly, also lodged multiple complaints with human resources, according to a report. Linkedin/Kristen Bitterly Michell

As complaints piled up, Citi’s HR chief Sara Wechter tapped Paul Weiss to investigate. The firm interviewed more than a dozen witnesses, with questioning continuing as recently as July, people familiar with the probe told Bloomberg.

Board chair John Dugan was also sent anonymous letters describing troubling behavior by Sieg, both at Citi and in earlier roles at Bank of America’s Merrill Lynch, where he previously ran wealth management.

The findings of the outside review have not been released, and Citi has refused to say whether Sieg faces any discipline. He did not respond to repeated requests for comment from Bloomberg or The Post.

Citi spokesman Mark Costiglio defended Sieg as “a highly respected leader with more than 25 years operating at the most senior levels of the wealth management industry.”

Sieg’s division delivered record revenue of $2.17 billion in the second quarter and Citi shares are up nearly 40% this year. EPA

“When he joined Citi in 2023, it was with a clear mandate for change and Wealth has been transformed under his leadership,” Costiglio said in a statement.

He praised Sieg as “a hard-charging leader” who built “a strong, client-focused franchise that is delivering revenue growth and improved returns.”

Costiglio added that more than 40% of the wealth unit’s senior leadership team are women, despite complaints that Sieg marginalized top female executives.

CEO Jane Fraser, 58, who lured Sieg to Citi in a personal recruitment pitch at her Connecticut home, has yet to say whether she will take action against her prized hire.

Fraser has been banking on Sieg to transform Citi’s wealth arm into a profit engine as she slashes 20,000 jobs across the firm.

Sieg, who sits on Citi’s 18-member executive management team, is widely seen as a potential successor to Fraser.

His division delivered record revenue of $2.17 billion in the second quarter and Citi shares are up nearly 40% this year, outpacing rivals.

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Katherine Merrill Dunham, a longtime anchor for CBS affiliate WBZ-TV known on air as Kate Merrill, filed suit against the station’s corporate parents CBS and Paramount Global this month alleging that she was run out of the newsroom to satisfy corporate diversity quotas.

The 51-year-old Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, who is married to ex-Rangers goalie Mike Dunham, stunned viewers last year when she quit the station without explanation.

Katherine Merrill Dunham (center), known on-air as Kate Merrill, a longtime Boston news anchor for CBS affiliate WBZ-TV. Chris Tanaka is seen left. Levan Reid is seen right. Facebook / Kate Merrill WBZ

In her Aug. 5 suit filed in Boston federal court, Merrill alleged she was targeted by managers who said the morning show was “too white” and by co-workers who filed “malicious” race-based complaints against her.

The lawsuit cites exclusive reporting by The Post of then-CBS News president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, who was accused of using her clout to promote minorities while unfairly sidelining white journalists during her tenure.

Her downfall began, she claims, after Paramount and CBS rolled out sweeping diversity mandates in response to past allegations of racism.

Executives allegedly described WBZ as “the whitest of all their stations” and vowed to allow only minority hires.

Dominican-born Ciprian Mathew was named as president of CBS News in August 2023 despite being the subject of an internal probe by the company in 2021 over her alleged hiring practices, The Post reported.

Merrill is married to Mike Dunham, a former backup goaltender for the New York Rangers. X / Mike Dunham

“WBZ-TV exploited such policies and took career-ending action against Ms. Merrill to advance a DEI agenda,” according to the complaint.

Ciprian-Matthews stepped down in July of last year.

Paramount scrapped its controversial DEI programs earlier this year ahead of its deal with Skydance after President Trump-nominated FCC Chair Brendan Carr reportedly vowed to block any mergers involving companies that held firm to “woke” policies.

According to the complaint, the trouble started when Jason Mikell, a black co-worker and meteorologist at WBZ, allegedly “made an inappropriate sexual innuendo about” Merrill “on air” in February of last year when he “implied that Ms. Merrill and her co-anchor had sexual relations at a gazebo.”

The lawsuit cites exclusive reporting by The Post of then-CBS News president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthew, who was accused of using her clout to promote minorities while unfairly sidelining white journalists during her tenure. Getty Images

The lawsuit alleges that despite complaints to supervisors by Merrill’s executive producer, Mikell “was not disciplined for his sexually charged remark about Ms. Merrill.”

A few weeks later in April of last year, after she privately texted him to correct a mispronunciation of “Concord,” Mikell allegedly “loudly yelled at her on the studio floor,” according to the suit.

Merrill claims she immediately complained to human resources — but a week later, Paramount’s HR chief informed her that Mikell and Courtney Cole, a black anchor hired by WBZ in 2022, had accused her of racial bias.

After 20 years at the station, the Emmy-winning broadcaster charges that she was branded a racist, demoted in public and forced into a “constructive discharge resignation”.

WBZ-TV meteorologist Jason Mikell at his desk. Mikell allegedly accused Merill of making racist comments. Facebook/Jason Mikell

On May 17, 2024, Michael Roderick, vice president of employee relations at Paramount, issued a report finding Merrill had engaged in “microaggressions or unconscious bias.”

WBZ President and GM Justin Draper handed her a written warning requiring unconscious bias training and threatening termination if she slipped again, according to the complaint.

The next day, Draper allegedly blindsided her with news she was being demoted from morning anchor to weekends — a move he announced in two staff meetings, the lawsuit alleged.

“Demoting Ms. Merrill in the context of the investigation sent the false message to her professional colleagues that she had engaged in serious wrongdoing,” the lawsuit said.

Merrill was at WBZ-TV for more than 20 years before she left the station without explanation last year. Instagram / Kate Merrill

Union leaders told Merrill that the demotion constituted “career sabotage” and she would “never recover.” Facing what she called a career-ending blow, Merrill resigned May 24, 2024.

The suit alleged male and minority colleagues were spared similar punishment for misconduct. It cites Mikell’s innuendo and an incident in which a black reporter allegedly “physically threw” a co-worker against a wall. None were demoted, according to the filing.

According to Merrill’s lawsuit, Mikell lodged a complaint against her in which he falsely accused her of making racially charged comments, including one in which she allegedly told him that after his hiring he would “find his people” in Boston.

The lawsuit alleged that Mikell complained after she failed to ask him “about his weekend, an omission he apparently attributed to his race…”

Dunham is a retired goaltender who played in the NHL for teams including the New York Rangers, Nashville Predators and New Jersey Devils. He is seen above with the Rangers in 2002. New York Post

The complaint also mentions another incident in which she suggested he could be a garbage collector while a co-anchor joked he could pick strawberries during an on-air bit.

Merrill denied “any of her actions, inactions, or comments were as described or motivated by overt racism or unconscious bias.”

Merrill, a Carlisle, Mass. native and Concord resident, launched her career in 1996 and joined WBZ in 2004. She became co-anchor of “WBZ This Morning” and “WBZ News at Noon” in 2017.

The filing touts her spotless record, “extraordinary reputation” and a résumé that included coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing, Democratic National Convention, Red Sox World Series win and Patriots Super Bowls.

Merrill said her black colleagues at WBZ-TV fabricated allegations against her accusing her of racial hostility. Facebook / Kate Merrill WBZ

“For more than 20 years, Ms. Merrill worked closely, virtually daily, with colleagues regardless of race,” the filing states, attaching photos of her with black colleagues.

“She is anti-racist.”

In 2022, WBZ hired Cole and Japanese American anchor Chris Tanaka, demoting white colleagues in the process.

In 2023, black meteorologist Mikell joined the station, replacing Zack Green, a white forecaster, according to the complaint.

Merrill alleged she was targeted by managers who said the morning show was “too white” and by co-workers who filed “malicious” race-based complaints against her. Facebook / Kate Merrill WBZ

Her WBZ contract — which runs until June 2025 — contains a non-compete clause, blocking her from working elsewhere in TV until it expires.

She says she has suffered “significant financial losses” and reputational damage, and that WBZ still has not paid her for 20 unused vacation days.

The Post has sought comment from Merrill’s attorneys, Patricia Washienko and Allison Williard; WBZ-TV; CBS; Paramount Global; Draper; Mikell; Cole and Roderick.

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