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Campbell’s Fires IT Executive After Recording Allegedly Captures Racist and Demeaning Remarks

Campbell’s has fired an IT executive after a former employee sued, alleging racist remarks and disparaging comments about the company’s products. The lawsuit says the executive made the remarks during a November 2024 salary meeting that was recorded; the audio runs more than 90 minutes. After reviewing the recording, the company said it believes the voice is the executive’s, apologized for the offensive language and said the conduct does not reflect its values. The plaintiff, Robert Garza, claims he was discouraged from reporting the conduct and was later fired; he is seeking monetary damages.

06:41 AM, 11/27/2025Society
Campbell’s Fires IT Executive After Recording Allegedly Captures Racist and Demeaning Remarks

Campbell’s has dismissed an IT executive following a lawsuit that alleges racist comments and disparaging remarks about the company’s products and customers.

What happened

Former employee Robert Garza filed a lawsuit in Michigan naming Campbell’s and two managers — then-vice president of information technology Martin Bally and manager J.D. Aupperle — alleging retaliation and a hostile work environment. The complaint centers on a salary meeting in November 2024 that Garza reportedly recorded; the audio runs more than 90 minutes and was later made public.

Allegations in the recording

The lawsuit alleges that, during the recorded conversation, Bally described Campbell’s products as "highly processed food" and said they were for "poor people." The complaint also says Bally made racist remarks about Indian workers, reportedly calling them "idiots."

After reviewing the recording, Campbell’s said it believes the voice on the tape is Bally’s. "The comments were vulgar, offensive and false, and we apologize for the hurt they have caused," the company said. Campbell’s added that the language is intolerable and does not reflect the company’s values.

Campbell’s said it first learned of the litigation and heard portions of the recording on Nov. 20. Bally’s termination took effect the following Tuesday.

Allegations of retaliation

According to the lawsuit, Garza informed his manager, J.D. Aupperle, about Bally’s conduct in January 2025 and intended to report the incident to human resources. The complaint says Garza was not encouraged to file a report and was then abruptly terminated later that month. Garza is seeking monetary damages.

Garza’s attorney, Zachary Runyan, said the situation has been difficult for his client: "He thought the company would be thankful that he reported this behavior, but instead he was abruptly fired," Runyan said.

Representatives for Bally and Aupperle did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Campbell’s reiterated that it is "proud of the food we make" and called the recorded comments about its products "inaccurate" and "patently absurd."

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