BAD DAY

Wife of Papa John’s Founder Files for Divorce

The same day John Schnatter filed a lawsuit against an ad firm, alleging it recorded a 2018 conference call without his knowledge.

The wife of the founder of Papa John’s filed for divorce the same day John Schnatter sued an advertising firm, claiming it released misleading excerpts from a 2018 conference call that prompted him to step down as chairman of the pizza chain’s board. CNBC reports that Schnatter, who recently said a “day of reckoning” would come, filed a lawsuit against ad firm Laundry Service on Thursday. Schnatter claims that the firm, which was working with Papa John’s at the time, recorded the May 2018 conference call without his knowledge and leaked excerpts of it to Forbes—allegedly breaching a disclosure agreement. He also said the firm’s CEO told Papa John’s leadership they would “bury the founder” if the firm didn’t get a $6 million payment for the work they did as the company’s media buyer. “The facts will show that my words were taken out of context and used to manufacture a scandal against me based on a completely false narrative,” Schnatter said in a statement. The pizza chain founder is reportedly seeking an unspecified amount of damages, and said all the net proceeds from the lawsuit would go to charity.

Schnatter’s wife also filed for divorce on Thursday, stating that the marriage was “irretrievably broken” after 32 years. The divorce petition reportedly noted that Schnatter was “not employed.”