Papa John’s founder sues in bid for company records

DOVER, Del. — The founder of the Papa John’s pizza chain filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking access to the company’s books and records following his resignation as chairman earlier this month amid reports that he used a racial slur during a media training session.

John Schnatter accuses Papa John’s International Inc. of treating him in an “unexplained and heavy-handed way” after Forbes published a July 11 article that he says falsely accused him.

Schnatter compared the board’s request that he step down as chairman to its prompting of his resignation as CEO last year amid controversy over remarks he made regarding National Football League players protesting during the national anthem.

In the complaint, Schnatter says company directors either acted in a hasty and uninformed manner or had secretly planned a “coup” in advance to oust him.

“Either way, as a director of the company, Mr. Schnatter is entitled to determine whether his fellow directors have been grossly negligent or are acting in bad faith, or both,” the complaint reads.

In a prepared statement, the company accused Schnatter of filing “a needless and wasteful lawsuit in an attempt to distract from his own words and actions.”

“We are providing Mr. Schnatter all of the materials he is entitled to as a director,” the statement added.