Lawsuit: Woman fired for being too pretty

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NEW YORK, June 3 (UPI) -- A New York woman's lawsuit against Citigroup says she was fired because bosses deemed her feminine beauty to be a distraction for male colleagues.

Debrahlee Lorenzana, 33, said in her city Supreme Court lawsuit that she was ordered not to wear turtlenecks, pencil skirts, fitted suits or heels in the workplace because the tight clothing made her body "too distracting" for male coworkers, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.

"Never did I ever show cleavage," Lorenzana said. "I like fashion, but I always dressed professionally."

"I can't help it that I have curves," she said. "And I'm not going to go eat and gain 50 or 100 pounds because my job wants me to be the same size as everyone else."

The woman's attorney, Jack Tuckner of Tuckner Sipser Weinstock & Sipser, said bosses at Citi's Rockefeller Center branch moved Lorenzana to a secluded part of the office as retaliation for her sexual harassment complaints and fired her one month later.

"All it came down to was, 'We don't want to deal with you, because you're just too good looking,'" Tuckner said.

Citigroup released a statement describing the lawsuit as "without merit."

"Citi is committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and providing a respectful environment in the workplace," the statement said.