(January 11) – “There is a long list of sexual-harassment cases that have been brought on Wall Street in recent years,” writes Kate Kelly in today’s Wall Street Journal.

“But the latest also is one of the most notable: It involves one of the securities industry’s highest-ranking women, Karen Nelson Hackett, a floor governor at the New York Stock Exchange. She has charged her former employer, securities firm ING Barings, with discrimination and with the kind of alleged sexual harassment — including graphic sexual remarks — that Wall Street officials had pledged to purge from the industry.”

“In an affidavit, Ms. Hackett claims that for three years on ING Barings’ trading desk, she was verbally harassed, and that both her ‘and other female employees’ were ‘forcibly kissed’ by one trader — prompting her to leave ING Barings in October. The affidavit was taken in conjunction with a Dec. 21 complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.”

“ING is a unit of Dutch financial-services giant ING Group NV. Ms. Hackett singles out two trading-desk executives, Manny Geronimos and William Hackett (no relation to her), and one of their deputies, block trader Martin Alonzo, for the alleged discriminatory behavior.

Ms. Hackett claims her problems started shortly after ING’s 1997 acquisition of Furman Selz, where she worked for 18 years. During that year, Mr. Geronimos and Mr. Hackett joined the company; they spent their days on the ING trading desk while she worked as a broker on the floor, calling them throughout the day to discuss orders. (Mr. Alonzo joined the company in 1994).”

“In her affidavit, Ms. Hackett says Mr. Alonzo ‘would constantly make inappropriate comments regarding the women in my department.’ Among other things, she alleges in the affidavit, he frequently mentioned his desires to have sex with various ING employees, once saying upon the death of a woman’s grandmother that ‘she’s vulnerable now’ and may be willing to have sex with him. She also alleges in the affidavit that he kissed her at several company functions, ‘forcibly’ putting his tongue in her mouth.

“Ms. Hackett says she quit ING Barings because of the alleged harassment.”

“Reached Wednesday at ING Barings’s offices in Manhattan, both Mr. Geronimos and Mr. Alonzo declined to comment on the charges. Mr. Hackett, the third man whom Ms. Hackett has accused of harassment, resigned from ING Barings in August. He couldn’t be reached for comment.”

“An ING Barings representative declined to comment on the specifics of Ms. Hackett’s allegations, but did offer this statement: ‘ING Barings is a strong supporter of equal rights and confident in the EEOC’s processes.’ The New York Stock Exchange, which wasn’t named in Ms. Hackett’s allegations or accused of any wrongdoing, declined to comment. The exchange has said more than 15% of its members are women.”