Executive Suspended After Alleged Explosive Rant
Campbell Soup Company has placed a top executive on temporary leave following a lawsuit that alleges he was secretly recorded making derogatory comments about the company's customers, products, and Indian colleagues. The legal action, filed in Michigan, centres on Martin Bally, the firm's Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer.
The Secret Recording and Shocking Allegations
According to court documents, the incident occurred during a November 2024 meeting at Campbell's headquarters in Camden, New Jersey. Robert Garza, a former cybersecurity analyst, had arranged the meeting to discuss his salary. Instead, the lawsuit claims, Bally launched into a 75-minute rant.
Garza, who had joined the company in September 2024, allegedly recorded the conversation, which is legal under Michigan's one-party consent laws. In the recording, Bally is said to have bragged about avoiding Campbell's products, describing them as "highly processed food" made for "poor people".
He allegedly stated: "We have s*** for f****** poor people. Who buys our s***? I don't buy Campbell's products barely anymore. It's not healthy now that I know what the f***'s in it… Bioengineered meat. I don't wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3-D printer."
The court papers further allege that Bally admitted to using marijuana edibles before work and directed a barrage of racist insults at Indian colleagues, reportedly calling them "f****** Indians" and "idiots" who "don't know a f****** thing".
Wrongful Termination and Corporate Fallout
Garza alleges that he reported Bally's conduct to his supervisor, JD Aupperle, in January 2025. Weeks later, on January 30, 2025, he was fired. The lawsuit claims Garza had never been disciplined before and that HR never contacted him about the complaint he made. He says it took him ten months to find new employment.
His lawyer, Zachary Runyan, stated that his client was fired for "sticking up for other people" and criticised Campbell's initial response as "ridiculous" for punishing Garza while Bally remained in his post.
Facing mounting pressure, Campbell's has now suspended Bally pending an investigation. In a statement, the company said: "If accurate, the comments in the recording are unacceptable. They do not reflect our values and the culture of our company. We are actively investigating this matter."
The lawsuit, which seeks damages for wrongful termination, names Martin Bally, JD Aupperle, and the Campbell Soup Company as defendants.
