part two. Seems obvious there is more to this sundry tale than either party is saying. What exactly did Ms. Roehm do to piss off the good ol' boys of Bentonville?
Advertising Age - Julie Roehm Files Suit Against Wal-Mart Julie Roehm, the former Wal-Mart marketing executive whose December ouster caused a media firestorm, has filed a lawsuit against the retailer, claiming Wal-Mart breached her contract and smeared her in the press....As part of breach-of-contract and fraud claims, Ms. Roehm alleges that Wal-Mart “made false and malicious statements to the media.” For its part, Wal-Mart hasn't given any reasons for the pair's dismissal. Its main statement was made when it decided to re-open the review, citing “new information” the company never detailed.
The seven-page complaint doesn't lay out exactly how much money Ms. Roehm is seeking to recover. It does say she was told she wouldn't receive any compensation since her Dec. 4, 2006, termination. According to the lawsuit, Ms. Roehm's employment agreement provides for “relocation benefits” including up to six mortgage payments and one year of base salary assuming she left the company “voluntarily.” Ms. Roehm moved her husband and children from Michigan to Arkansas upon taking the Wal-Mart job.
Ms. Roehm says she was notified of her termination by Wal-Mart's chief financial officer “ostensibly because [she] 'hasn't been fulfilling the expectations of an officer of the company.'” But she claims Wal-Mart “provided no specific examples of any conduct ... which did not fulfill the expectations of an officer of the company, because no such conduct exists.”
In addition to financial damages, Ms. Roehm is looking to retrieve items left in her office at the Bentonville, Ark., headquarters. She's demanding the return of her media exchange files, material from presentations and work she did prior to joining Wal-Mart, and copies of her Microsoft Outlook folders, including her personal contacts.
Tags: Advertising, /litigation, /Wal-Mart
