LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY (August 8, 2023) — The founder of Papa John’s International Inc, John Schnatter, celebrated a major victory today in his ongoing lawsuit against Laundry Service, the ad firm that leaked deceptively-edited content from a private training call to the media to intentionally damage Schnatter and Papa John’s, according to the complaint by the iconic founder.
In a federal court hearing on Monday, Judge Benjamin Beaton of the US District Court for Western Kentucky denied the Motion for Summary Judgment by ad firm Laundry Service, ruling that Schnatter’s case will proceed to trial based on the substantial evidence presented by Schnatter in opposition to the motion by Laundry Service. Judge Beaton gave the parties fourteen days to agree on a trial schedule and report back to the court.
“We're very pleased that Judge Beaton has agreed that our lawsuit should proceed to trial, allowing us a real opportunity to present the facts of this case and prove that the truth is on our side,” Schnatter said.
“Through discovery, we have already proven that my comments on the private training call demonstrated my disdain for racism and that the Defendant reversed the meaning and weaponized my own remarks against me through its leak to the media, damaging both my reputation and the Papa John’s brand. At trial, we will prove that the Defendant intended to hurt me and my company in violation of their contract, and that we will succeed by bringing all the facts to light. We look forward to proceeding to the next stage in this pursuit to correct the record once and for all," Schnatter concluded.
In a previous filing before the US District Court, Schnatter alleged that the conference call with Laundry Service was a set-up, as demonstrated by their own comments on the secret recording the ad firm leaked (see source), followed by a threat from the company owner, Casey Wasserman, that he would “bury the founder” unless Laundry Service was paid $6 million by Papa John’s (see source).
Schnatter has previously indicated that all net proceeds from the lawsuit against Laundry Service will be donated to charity.
Reference: Civil Action No. 3:20-cv-00003-BJB-CHL
To learn more about John H. Schnatter vs 247 Group, LLC d/b/a Laundry Service and Wasserman Media Group LLC, go to: papajohnschnatter.com/schnatter-v-wasserman-media/
