Martin Bally, the VP and Chief Information Security Officer at Campbell’s, has been placed on temporary leave due to an investigation related to a recorded outburst in which he reportedly criticized the company, its products, and its customers.
This leave coincides with a recent lawsuit from Robert Garza, a former cybersecurity analyst for the company. Garza filed his wrongful termination suit on November 20, claiming that he recorded a meeting where Bally made disparaging remarks, including a statement suggesting that Campbell’s products cater to “poor people.”
In a company statement, Campbell’s labeled the comments as “unacceptable” and not representative of its values, emphasizing that Bally, who works in IT, isn’t involved in food production.
Garza alleges he was terminated on January 30 as retaliation for reporting Bally’s comments, which he believed were offensive.
Last November, Garza attended a meeting he thought would focus on his salary, but the conversation spiraled into a lengthy tirade from Bally. He later published an audio clip claiming it captured that discussion.
“We have sh*t for f**king poor people. Who buys our sh*t? I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore,” Bally reportedly said during a 75-minute recording. “I don’t want to eat a f**king piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer.”
Additionally, the lawsuit claims that Bally made derogatory comments about his Indian coworkers.
According to the legal filing, Bally even confessed to coming to work high after consuming marijuana edibles, which was also supposedly recorded.
Garza’s attorney, Zachary Runyan, remarked that his client had consistently raised concerns internally and sought assistance from company leadership long before he was fired.
“He went to his boss and pointed out, ‘Martin is saying this about Indian coworkers, he’s making comments about customers, and I think that’s unacceptable,’” Runyan told local media. “Yet, for standing up for others, Robert was terminated, which seems absurd.”
Garza maintains that Campbell’s Human Resources department ignored his complaints and allowed a racially hostile environment to continue. He argues that his firing was unjust and notes he has been unemployed for ten months now.
A spokesperson from Campbell’s reiterated that Bally is on leave while an internal investigation is underway.
“If the comments were indeed made, they are unacceptable. They do not reflect our values or company culture. We were unaware of the recording,” Campbell’s stated. “We take pride in our products, the people who create them, and the quality of our ingredients. The statements about our food are not only inaccurate but also completely absurd.”
