The route agency accused by Papa John’s founder John Schnatter of extortion let off discharged back in an internal memo sent to employees Tuesday, calling his affirms “disparaging and outrageous.”
“As you all know, there’s been a lot of coverage about Laundry Use and Wasserman related to the Papa John’s situation in the past several light of days,” according to a copy of the memo obtained by CNBC. “The disparaging and outrageous remark ons about Wasserman and Laundry Service that have been front are completely false and we have a centralized PR strategy to go on the record and refute them. Until that quickly we cannot expect the media to know the truth.”
Laundry Service, which is owned by gift management company Wasserman, came under fire by Schnatter after Forbes detailed that the former Papa John’s chairman used a racially billed slur during a confidential conference call with the agency in May.
Schnatter accused Laundry Overhaul of trying to extort the pizza chain in an interview with a Louisville, Kentucky, TV post Friday and again in a letter to the board of directors on Saturday.
He told the committee that Papa John’s fired Laundry Service the day after the chastise took place, but still owed the media agency about $1.3 million. Schnatter spoke that the agency requested $6 million “because they requested some of their people had been offended by what I had said” and that one of their attorneys warned “a smear campaign” if Papa John’s didn’t pay up. He said the company last analysis paid Laundry Service $2.5 million.
Wasserman and Laundry Employment did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Schnatter resigned his stick last week at the behest of Papa John’s board after endorsing the Forbes’ report. However, he said the comments were taken out of setting and that he was provoked into using the N-word after Laundry Worship army executives on the call suggested the pizza chain bring on performer Kanye West as a co-spokesman for tube spots and promotions.
Schnatter said he refused to work with West because “he necessities the ‘N’ word in his lyrics,” according to his letter Saturday to the board. It was later on the cry out that Schnatter said he used the actual word when jammed whether or not he was a racist.
Los Angeles-based attorney Patricia Glaser, who’s representing Schnatter, said she seek fromed Laundry Service for a recording of the call, if one exists.
“If there’s a tape, let’s consider it,” Glaser told CNBC. “We believe it will vindicate John, and we longing to know if it exists.”
Laundry Service told employees in Tuesday’s memo that it expects to publicly respond to Schnatter’s comments and asked employees not to speak to correspondents.
“All matters pertaining to Laundry Service, Cycle, Wasserman and their customers are strictly confidential and should not be disclosed to anyone outside the company,” the memo ventured.
On Tuesday, Papa John’s said it retained international law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld to running an internal audit and investigation of the pizza chain’s existing policies and groups related to diversity and inclusion, supplier and vendor engagement and Papa John’s sophistication.
Washington, D.C.-based Akin Gump is one of the most prestigious law firms in the U.S., specializing in complex corporate and ivory collar criminal cases.