The Last Slice - Papa John's Founder Schnatter To Resign From Board
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (CBSDFW.com/AP) - Papa John's has reached a settlement agreement with founder John Schnatter that will see him step down from the pizza chain's board once an independent director that is mutually acceptable replaces him.
If a new director isn't named prior to Papa John's 2019 annual shareholders meeting, Schnatter's term will expire at the meeting, according to a regulatory filing.
Schnatter will also withdraw a lawsuit in which he accused the company of not giving him information he wanted after he resigned as chairman. In January a Delaware judge ruled that Schnatter was entitled to corporate records that the company had refused to turn over to him.
Last month Papa John's International Inc. tapped the CEO of activist investment firm Starboard Value to become its chairman. Starboard CEO Jeff Smith was the chairman of the board at Darden Restaurants, which owns the Olive Garden chain, from 2014-2016. Papa John's brought Starboard on board in part to help engineer its turnaround efforts.
Papa John's, which was founded in 1984, has been floundering after a series of missteps by Schnatter, who stepped down as CEO in 2017 after blamed disappointing sales on NFL player protests. Then, about six months later, Schnatter resigned as chairman after it was revealed he used the N-word during a media training exercise and graphically described violence against minorities.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)