Executive's Explosive Rant Leads to Lawsuit
A high-ranking executive at The Campbell's Co. finds himself at the center of a major corporate scandal after a former employee filed a lawsuit alleging retaliation. The legal action stems from a shocking audio recording obtained by HuffPost, which allegedly captures Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer Martin Bally delivering a profanity-laced tirade against his own company's products.
In the recording, a voice identified as Bally's is heard making disparaging remarks about Campbell's food, stating, "If you look at our f***ing pantry, we have s*** for f***ing poor people, right? We have s*** that's for poor people. Who buys our s***?" The comments were reportedly made during a meeting in November of last year with then-employee Robert Garza.
Degrading Comments and Racist Remarks
The lawsuit, filed this month by Garza, provides further disturbing details from the one-hour-and-fifteen-minute recording. Bally allegedly expressed disgust at the prospect of consuming Campbell's own chicken, specifically targeting a key ingredient in their famous chicken noodle soup.
"I don't want to eat a f***ing piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer," Bally is alleged to have said, dismissively referring to the ingredient as "bioengineered meat." The legal filing also accuses Bally of making racist comments about Indian workers during a discussion on cybersecurity, allegedly saying, "F***ing Indians don't know a f***ing thing... Like they couldn't think for their f***ing selves."
Garza, who worked as a cybersecurity analyst under Bally, claimed in the lawsuit that he was "shocked" and "appalled" by the racist comments. He reported the incident to his manager, J.D. Aupperle, in January. The lawsuit claims Aupperle, who is also named as a defendant, did not encourage Garza to report the comments to human resources.
Retaliation and Company Response
Weeks after reporting the behavior, Robert Garza was terminated from his position. He believes his firing was a direct act of retaliation for reporting Bally's behavior.
In response to the allegations, a Campbell's spokesperson issued a statement to HuffPost, addressing the recorded comments. "If the comments were in fact made, they are unacceptable" and do not reflect the company's values, the statement read. The company defended its products, stating, "We are proud of the food we make... The comments made about our food are completely inaccurate and absurd."
The statement specifically addressed the chicken, noting it "comes from long-trusted, USDA approved U.S. suppliers and meets our high quality standards." It also sought to distance Bally from product development, pointing out that he "works in IT and has nothing to do with how we make our food."
The lawsuit contains an additional serious allegation, claiming that Bally admitted to showing up to work under the influence of marijuana. Court records did not list an attorney for either Bally or Aupperle. The company confirmed that Martin Bally is temporarily on leave while an internal investigation is conducted.
Garza and his attorney, Zachary Runyan, released a joint statement, saying, "This situation has been very hard on Robert. He thought Campbell's would be thankful that he reported Martin's behavior, but instead he was abruptly fired. We look forward to obtaining justice for Robert."
