NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup urged a judge to dismiss a lawsuit by a former managing director who accused the bank of firing her in retaliation for refusing to give regulators false information. Citi said Kathleen Martin was lawfully terminated because she lacked the leadership and engagement skills needed for herjob, according to a Thursday night filing in Manhattan federal court. It also said her allegations concerning the bank's datagovernance metrics were not true, and that even if they were, the claims she made were not protected under federal whistleblowing law.

(Reporting by Saeed Azhar and Jonathan Stempel in New York)

By Saeed Azhar and Jonathan Stempel