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Three Former Ralphs Executives Sue Chain

Three former executives of Ralphs Grocery Co. here are suing the company for firing them in the wake of the 2003-2004 strike-lockout.

Jon Springer, Executive Editor

November 2, 2009

1 Min Read
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JON SPRINGER

LOS ANGELES — Three former executives of Ralphs Grocery Co. here are suing the company for firing them in the wake of the 2003-2004 strike-lockout.

The suit comes after the three executives — Patrick McGowan, Scott Drew and Karen Montoya — were acquitted in June of fraud and conspiracy in a scheme to re-hire locked out workers using false identities during the labor dispute.

Cincinnati-based Kroger, the parent company of Ralphs, paid more than $70 million in damages stemming from a federal investigation into the hiring dispute.

The suit alleges the plaintiffs were fired as “part of a broader blame-shifting effort adopted by the defendants to shield Ralphs and its senior management from criminal responsibility” for actions taken by senior Ralphs executives. It seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages against Ralphs, Kroger, Fry’s and up to 20 unnamed individuals comprising senior management at those companies.

Kroger officials were not immediately available for comment.

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About the Author

Jon Springer

Executive Editor

Jon Springer is executive editor of Winsight Grocery Business with responsibility for leading its digital news team. Jon has more than 20 years of experience covering consumer business and retail in New York, including more than 14 years at the Retail/Financial desk at Supermarket News. His previous experience includes covering consumer markets for KPMG’s Insiders; the U.S. beverage industry for Beverage Spectrum; and he was a Senior Editor covering commercial real estate and retail for the International Council of Shopping Centers. Jon began his career as a sports reporter and features editor for the Cecil Whig, a daily newspaper in Elkton, Md. Jon is also the author of two books on baseball. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English-Journalism from the University of Delaware. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his family.

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