A former female partner of Goldman Sachs received more than $12 million as compensation for charges that senior executives fostered a hostile atmosphere for women.
Bloomberg reported that the complaint "rattled" Goldman Sachs executives, who settled it two years ago to prevent word of the allegations from reaching the public.
According to the news outlet, which cited sources with knowledge of the former partner's complaint, top executives-including CEO David Solomon-were accused of making sexist or vulgar comments about women at the company.
The female partner, who currently works for a different firm, reportedly declined to talk to Bloomberg, which said it concealed her identity in part because she never made her accusations public.
Bloomberg cited the unnamed sources when reporting that the petition claimed that women at Goldman were treated disrespectfully and paid less than men.
The company has made public its efforts to increase the ranks of women at the bank, and Solomon has stated in previous remarks that hiring and promoting more women and minorities were among his top goals.
According to Bloomberg, which cited sources with knowledge of the complaint, the events mentioned by the Goldman partner are said to have occurred in 2018 and 2019. They reportedly involved male executives making physical comments about the bodies of female colleagues and giving them menial jobs.
Fewer than 1% of the staff at the firm have the extremely coveted partner status, which comes with increased income and other benefits.
Wall Street is still dealing with allegations that its hard-charging culture leads to unequal treatment of female employees.
Solomon, who succeeded predecessor Lloyd Blankfein in 2018, is facing a class-action lawsuit alleging gender discrimination, which could go to trial next year.
Goldman has disputed the allegations and has sought to have the lawsuit dismissed. An ex-Goldman managing director wrote a memoir earlier this year outlining incidents of harassment throughout her 18-year employment at the bank.
Other male-dominated industries, such as technology and law, have faced allegations of institutional bias against women. Alphabet unit Google agreed to pay $118 million to settle a lawsuit alleging discrimination against thousands of female employees in June.
Goldman Sachs denied the Bloomberg piece, according to top Goldman attorney Kathy Ruemmler, in a statement to CNBC. The New York-based bank declined to provide more comments or respond to inquiries regarding whether it had actually paid the $12 million settlement.
"Bloomberg's reporting contains factual errors, and we dispute this story," Ruemmler said in the emailed statement. "Anyone who works with David knows his respect for women, and his long record of creating an inclusive and supportive environment for women."
"We stand by our reporting," a Bloomberg representative said in response to Goldman's comment.
