Campbell Soup executive Martin Bally is facing a lawsuit that alleges he made derogatory comments about Indian workers and referred to the company's products as "food for poor people." The allegations were made by Robert Garza, a former cybersecurity analyst who was hired by Campbell's in September 2024. According to Garza, Bally made these remarks during a meeting with him in November 2024, which was intended to discuss his salary.
Garza claims that he informed his manager, J.D. Aupperle, about the comments on January 10, but alleges that Aupperle did not encourage him to report the incident to human resources. Just weeks later, Garza's employment with Campbell's was terminated abruptly, the lawsuit says.
The conversation between Garza and Bally was recorded, according to Detroit television station WDIV. In a statement to CBS News, Campbell's said it was not aware of the recording before it aired on WDIV and does not know if it is legitimate. The company also denied that Bally made the comments, saying they are "unacceptable" and "patently absurd."
However, James Uthmeier, the Attorney General of Florida, announced in a social media post that his state's Consumer Protection division is investigating the quality of Campbell's products. Runyan Law Group, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of Garza, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Garza's lawsuit alleges he suffered stress, humiliation, embarrassment, and mental anguish as a result of Bally and Aupperle's actions. He is seeking compensation for emotional, reputational, and economic harm, as well as attorneys' fees.
Garza claims that he informed his manager, J.D. Aupperle, about the comments on January 10, but alleges that Aupperle did not encourage him to report the incident to human resources. Just weeks later, Garza's employment with Campbell's was terminated abruptly, the lawsuit says.
The conversation between Garza and Bally was recorded, according to Detroit television station WDIV. In a statement to CBS News, Campbell's said it was not aware of the recording before it aired on WDIV and does not know if it is legitimate. The company also denied that Bally made the comments, saying they are "unacceptable" and "patently absurd."
However, James Uthmeier, the Attorney General of Florida, announced in a social media post that his state's Consumer Protection division is investigating the quality of Campbell's products. Runyan Law Group, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of Garza, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Garza's lawsuit alleges he suffered stress, humiliation, embarrassment, and mental anguish as a result of Bally and Aupperle's actions. He is seeking compensation for emotional, reputational, and economic harm, as well as attorneys' fees.
martin bally from campbell soup is facing a lawsuit cuz he allegedly made racist comments about indian workers lol like what is wrong w/ ppl these days 
anyway garza claims he told his manager about the convo and now hes getting sued for emotional distress idk if im surprised or not tbh 
i mean i feel bad 4 him but like if u got a problem w/ someone, jus talk to HR or smthn 
i guess campbell soup is tryna deny it tho 
but james utheimer the AG from fl is investigating their product quality lol maybe thats the real issue here 
this whole thing with Campbell Soup sounds super fishy to me. like how does the company not know about the recording till it got leaked? and if bally really said those comments, that's a huge problem for the company... i mean, who wants to eat "food for poor people"? 
but at the same time, garza seems like he might be exaggerating or seeking attention. like, why did he wait months to report it and then get terminated? 
also, what's up with james uthmeier announcing the investigation on social media? is that even a thing? 
. The investigation by James Uthmeier, the Attorney General of Florida, may lead to changes in how companies like Campbell Soup treat their employees and customers 
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. Garza could've just kept quiet and dealt with the stress and humiliation, but instead he chose to report the incident and now he's fighting for justice 
. That takes a lot of courage! We should all be like him - holding ourselves and others accountable for our words and actions 
. And it's also worth noting that this situation might not just affect Garza, but also others who have been mistreated or marginalized in the workplace 
. It's always better to speak out than to stay silent, even if it's hard 
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. I mean, who wouldn't want to work at Campbell's with a CEO who thinks Indian workers are "food for poor people"? 
. I'm not surprised the company is denying everything, but hey, it's on record now. Can't wait to see how this drama plays out 
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This lawsuit from Robert Garza is definitely a red flag, especially with the recording and all. It's not cool when companies try to sweep things under the rug or make it seem like it never happened.