Campbell's VP placed on leave after viral 'poor people' rant gets exposed, whistleblower files lawsuit

The Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer of Campbell’s Soup Company, Martin Bally, is under fire for his recent remarks about the company, their products and his co-workers. 

In a clip secretly recorded by former cybersecurity analyst  Robert Garza, Bally can be heard mocking Campbell's products, the “poor people” who buy them, and his Indian co-workers  whom he referred to as “idiots”. He can also be heard admitting that he sometimes arrives at work inebriated.

Garza claims he hit record on instinct when he met Bally for a seemingly routine salary meeting and felt that “something wasn’t right with Martin” late last year, according to New York Post.

He then proceeded to capture Bally's explosive, hour-long tirade that left him feeling “pure disgust”.

“We have sh*t for f***ing poor people. Who buys our sh*t? I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore,” Bally says in the recording.

At another point, he claims that Campbell’s soups contain “bioengineered meat – I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer” and “It’s not healthy now that I know what the f***’s in it.”

Bally allegedly also takes digs at his Indian colleagues, stating that the “F***ing Indians don’t know a f***ing thing,” and “They couldn’t think for their f***ing selves.”

Speaking toThe Post, a Campbell's spokesperson revealed that Bally is “temporarily on leave while we conduct an investigation”.

“If the comments were in fact made, they are unacceptable. They do not reflect our values and the culture of our company. We were not aware of the recording,” they added.

“We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use. The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate – they are patently absurd.”

According to a lawsuit filed by Garza last Thursday in Wayne County Circuit Court, Bally frequently disclosed that he came to work high from marijuana edibles.

After reeling from all that he had heard on the recording, Garza reportedly went to his manager JD Aupperle to report Bally’s behaviour but was subsequently terminated.

Garza's lawyer Zachary Runyan told Local 4 News “(Garza) reached out to his supervisor and told the supervisor what Martin was saying, and then out of nowhere, my client was fired".

Garza claims he was fired 20 days after speaking up, on January 30, in retaliation for reporting discriminatory and harassing conduct.

His suit claims that the company had a racially-hostile work environment and intentionally disregarded Garza’s rights, leaving him jobless for 10 months due to lack of a follow-up from human resources.

“They have a motto, ‘We treat you like family here at Campbell’s – come work for us’, that’s not the case", Garza told The Post.