COMPTON, Calif. -- Ralphs Grocery Co. here has been awarded a summary judgment in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by eight former middle-management executives.
However, Judge Ronald E. Cappai of the California Superior Court in Los Angeles dismissed the case against Ralphs; its parent company, Food 4 Less Holdings, and its former chairman, Byron Allumbaugh, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to submit materials that justified moving the case forward to trial.
In his ruling Judge Cappai said Ralphs "(has) shown good cause and a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for laying off plaintiffs. Defendants have shown that they eliminated plaintiffs' positions to reduce the work force because of economic reasons. "The burden thus shifted to plaintiffs to show the existence of a triable issue of material fact. Plaintiffs have failed to do so. Plaintiffs have failed to show that their layoffs were anything but for 'good cause.'
"Also, plaintiffs have not shown that their layoffs were mere pretexts for intentional, unlawful discrimination."
