Campbell's IT Executive Takes Leave Amid Lawsuit Alleging Disparaging Remarks About Company's Products

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On Tuesday, Campbell’s Co. announced that it has suspended one of its executives amid an investigation into allegations of racist remarks and disparaging comments about the company’s offerings and clientele, captured in an audio recording.

Martin Bally, the vice president of information technology at Campbell’s, was identified in a lawsuit initiated last week by Robert Garza, a former employee of the company. The legal action was filed in Michigan, where both individuals reside, although Campbell’s main offices are located in New Jersey.

Garza’s lawsuit claims that during a meeting with Bally in November 2024 to discuss Garza’s salary, Bally allegedly criticized Campbell’s products as “highly processed” and suggested they were intended for “poor people,” a conversation that Garza reportedly recorded.

Furthermore, Garza accused Bally of making racist comments about Indian employees, referring to them as “idiots,” according to the lawsuit. Garza also alleged that Bally admitted to frequently using marijuana edibles before coming to work.

Garza said he told his manager, J.D. Aupperle, on Jan. 10 that he wanted to report Bally’s comments to Campbell’s human resources department. Garza said Aupperle didn’t encourage him to report the comments but also gave him no advice on how to proceed.

On Jan. 30, Garza was terminated from Campbell’s. He is seeking monetary damages from Campbell’s. He also names Bally and Aupperle in the lawsuit, saying they were responsible for his termination.

In its statement Tuesday, Campbell’s said that if the comments on the audio recording were in fact made by Bally, they are unacceptable.

“Such language does not reflect our values and the culture of our company,” the company said. “We do not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances.”

Campbell’s added that the comments were allegedly made by someone in IT “who has nothing to do with how we make our food.”

“We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use to provide consumers with good food at a good value,” Campbell’s said. “The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate — they are patently absurd.”