I had not heard of this kind of suit on Wall Street before: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued Merrill Lynch on behalf of Majid Borumand, who was hired by the firm in 2002 under a program that allows firms to recruit talented foreigners. Borumand was allegedly the target of "remarks that reflected animus toward his national origin and religion," the EEOC said in a complaint. Borumand was allegedly told "the reason you are not allowed on the trading floor is because you are from a country which has a high risk factor and a threat." The complaint says Borumand is an analyst in Merrill Lynch's global markets and investment banking model development group. Merrill says he was a senior programmer in a global equity technology group. He has a doctorate in theoretical physics and a masters in mathematical finance. Too bad it didn't work out.

For more:
- here's an update [1] from the AP