A woman who worked for New York bank Citigroup Inc, has filed a lawsuit against the bank accusing it of firing her for being too attractive.

» Click here to watch video.

The bank believes the lawsuit should be dismissed, or else sent to arbitration, court records show.

Village Voice SACKED AND SMOKIN': Debrahlee Lorenzana, 33, alleges management warned her not to dress like her female co-workers because her "shapeliness" upset her "easily distracted" male colleagues and supervisors.

Debrahlee Lorenzana, a 33-year-old mother, who worked as a business banking officer, alleged that management had warned her not to dress like her female co-workers because her "shapeliness" upset her "easily distracted" male colleagues and supervisors.

The lawsuit was filed in November 2009 but it received new attention after The Village Voice newspaper published an article about the 1.68m, 57kg Lorenzana.

Lorenzana and her lawyer Jack Tuckner were not available to comment on Thursday.

According to the complaint, soon after beginning work in September 2008 at a Citibank branch in Manhattan's Chrysler building, Lorenzana was advised by supervisors not to wear turtlenecks, pencil skirts and fitted suits because her figure made such attire "too distracting" for male workers to bear.

Lorenzana said management told her that female co-workers were not similarly told what to wear because their "general unattractiveness rendered moot their sartorial choices."

Efforts to dress down did not end management's complaints, the single mother told the Voice.

"I could have worn a paper bag, and it would not have mattered," she said.

After complaining about her treatment, Lorenzana said she was transferred to a Rockefeller Centre branch but given a remote desk that made it difficult to sign up customers.

Lorenzana was fired in August 2009, for reasons including "inappropriate" attire and a failure to meet new account quotas, the complaint said.

Citigroup rejected Lorenzana's allegations.

"Her termination was solely performance-based and not at all related to her appearance or attire," the bank said in a statement. "We are confident that when all of the facts and documentation are presented, the claim will be dismissed."

The lawsuit was filed in the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan. It seeks lost pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and other remedies.