Copred rules Jorge Jiménez Arana faced firm discrimination

Jorge Jiménez Arana, a former partner at Dentons López Velarde in Mexico City, was subjected to workplace discrimination based on his sexual orientation, according to an administrative ruling by Mexico City’s Council to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination (Copred). El País reported that the 53-year-old attorney, who kept his homosexuality secret for decades within Mexico’s conservative legal sector, filed a formal complaint with Copred on January 8, 2026, after facing severe internal pressure, isolation, and financial penalties following the disclosure of his personal life to his fellow partners in April 2023.

Jorge Jiménez Arana Reveals His Sexuality to Partners

During a periodic lunch meeting in April 2023 at Los Canarios restaurant in Santa Fe, Jorge Jiménez Arana informed partner Rogelio López Velarde and partner Amanda Valdez that he was separating from his wife and that he was attracted to men. Jiménez Arana had worked at the firm since its founding in 1995, rising to become the second-most prominent partner and a member of the board of directors. The announcement broke a 30-year professional and personal relationship with López Velarde, whom he had met as a university professor. According to Jiménez Arana, the immediate reaction from López Velarde was dramatic, with the director asking No puede ser, ¿cómo tú me haces esto a mí? El País reported that prejudices surfaced quickly, with López Velarde blaming Jiménez Arana’s sexual orientation for perceived professional shortcomings.

Firm Isolates Jiménez Arana and Increases His Expenses

Following the disclosure, Jiménez Arana experienced a multi-phase exclusion process over two years and ten months inside the firm, as documented in Copred’s investigation. By 2024, the isolation deepened as Jiménez Arana was excluded from consensus-based management decisions. In the third phase, during the third quarter of 2024, the firm increased Jiménez Arana’s share of operational expenses from 21 percent to 44 percent, raising his monthly financial burden from 400,000 pesos to nearly one million pesos. Copred confirmed this financial penalty lacked objective justification, noting that further increases to 46 percent were levied at the end of 2024 and 2025 without assembly approval. Copred concluded after an eight-month investigation that Jiménez Arana suffered explicit discrimination due to his sexual orientation.

Jiménez Arana Leaves Firm and Plans Legal Action

Following the Copred ruling issued on September 14, Jiménez Arana left the firm on February 9, 2026, after notifying Dentons global leadership 10 months prior. El País reported that Dentons López Velarde declined to answer questions regarding the case, citing confidentiality rules for personnel matters and Copred proceedings, while Dentons global did not resolve the formal complaint filed with them. Jiménez Arana plans to pursue further civil and criminal legal actions against the firm. National data from the INEGI 2021 survey shows that only 4.7 percent of the LGBTI community in Mexico reaches management or leadership positions, while 11 percent report social rejection, which demonstrates the systemic barriers highlighted by the case.