Papa John’s founder sues company

Papa John’s founder John Schnatter sued the company on Thursday over documents dealing with his ouster over the use of a racial slur.

Reuters reported that Schnatter filed the complaint in Delaware Chancery Court to demand access to internal documents surrounding the accusations of inappropriate behavior.

“Mr. Schnatter’s attorneys are seeking to inspect Company documents because of the unexplained and heavy-handed way in which the Company has treated him since the publication of a story that falsely accused him of using a racial slur,” Schnatter’s legal team said in a statement obtained by Reuters. 

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Schnatter stepped down as chairman of the Papa John’s board last month after Forbes reported that he used a racial slur during a conference call on how to handle public relations.

The call came as the company faced backlash after Schnatter linked NFL player’s protests during the national anthem to lower pizza sales, for Papa John’s, which was the official pizza company of the league.

“Colonel Sanders called blacks n—–s,” Schnatter reportedly said on the call, referring to the public face of KFC. He went on to say that Sanders didn’t face backlash for his comments.

Schnatter said in a statement last month that the report was accurate and apologized for the incident.

He later said that he regretted the decision to resign, and Schnatter’s attorney has requested that the board investigate the incident.