An executive of Campbell’s Soup Company, Martin Bally, was caught on an audio recording allegedly stating the popular food brand is “(expletive) for fcking poor people,” according to a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by Robert Garza.
The lawsuit was filed on Nov. 20 in the Wayne County Circuit Court in Detroit, Mich. Becoming an employee in September 2024, Garza worked at the New Jersey headquarters and joined the company as a security analyst. He says that he was fired unfairly due to racial discrimination and racial harassment.
The audio recording occurred during a meeting between the two to discuss Garza’s salary in November 2024. In the lawsuit, Garza claims that the meeting then shifted into an hour-long tirade full of racist remarks and disparaging comments about Campbell’s products.
Campbell’s Co. confirmed with USA Today, exclusively, that the audio recording was, in fact, Martin Bally. On the recording he says he doesn’t buy Campbell’s products anymore and that he thinks the soup contains “bioengineered meat.” He said, “I don’t want to eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer, do you?” Bally also made alleged racialized comments about Indian employees and confessed to being under the influence of marijuana edibles while at work. “Fcking Indians don’t know a f**cking thing… Like they couldn’t think for their (expletive) selves.”
Bally was Campbell’s vice president of information technology and was terminated as of Nov. 25, according to a statement from Campbell’s.
On Nov. 26, Campbell’s Co. said, “After a review, we believe the voice on the recording is in fact Martin Bally. The comments were vulgar, offensive, and false, and we apologize for the hurt they have caused. This behavior does not reflect our values and the culture of our company, and we will not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances. As of November 25, Mr. Bally is no longer employed by the company.”
According to WDIV, Garza kept the recording private until January, when he reported Bally’s actions to his supervisor and said that he felt “pure disgust” immediately after the meeting.
Garza’s lawyer, Zachary Runyan, said before Garza was fired, he was “sticking up for other people,” Runyan stated in a WDIV interview. “And the response to Robert striking up for other people is he gets fired, which is ridiculous.”
The company has released a fact sheet and statement to verify to consumers that the chicken used within Campbell’s products is real. “The chicken meat in our soups comes from long-trusted, USDA-approved U.S. suppliers and meets our high-quality standards. All our soups are made with No Antibiotics Ever chicken meat. Any claims to the contrary are completely false,” the Campbell’s Co. statement said.
The company also said that they were not aware of the recording until the lawsuit was filed on Nov. 20 by Garza.
