Ex-Executive Accuses M&T Bank of Favoring Straight Male Peers

A former M&T Bank Corp. vice president and commercial branch manager alleges in a new lawsuit that the company unlawfully denied her a promotion because of her gender and sexual orientation, and paid her less than her heterosexual male peers.

Maria Scorcia, who identifies as lesbian, said her supervisor at a Long Island branch treated her as a “second-class citizen,” but gave “preferential treatment, access, and 1-on-1 support to heterosexual male counterparts,”
according to a complaint filed Monday in US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Scorcia also alleged the bank ultimately fired her for filing an internal complaint and violated her protected medical leave rights while she recovered from surgery.

She claimed her supervisor contacted her to address alleged branch operation issues about suspected time sheet violations by a subordinate. The action was a “pretext to harass Scorcia” since his demands were “entirely unfillable” while Scorcia wasn’t onsite, the complaint said.

Upon returning to work, the supervisor “lashed out, aggressively revisiting” the issue, leading Scorcia to file an internal discrimination complaint, the lawsuit said.

A human resources official “sarcastically mocked” Scorcia’s complaint and accused her of “merely using ‘buzz words,’” it said.

A spokesperson for M&T didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Scorcia is represented by TA Legal Group PLLC.

The case is Scorcia v. M&T Bank Corp., E.D.N.Y., No. 2:26-cv-02505, complaint filed 4/27/26.