A Hamilton County judge is ordering former Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen to disclose his reason for resigning earlier this year.
McMullen stepped down in March citing "personal conduct" that while "unrelated to the business" was "inconsistent with Kroger's Policy on business Ethics."
Since then, he's refused to say what happened.
Now, he's being compelled by the court as part of a lawsuit filed by the singer Jewel and Inclusion Companies, LLC related to the company's annual wellness festival, which was created by Inclusion under the Wellness Your Way Festival LLC entity.
As reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier, and viewed by WVXU, Judge Christian Jenkins is siding with plaintiffs who argued McMullen's actions could be relevant to their litigation. They're suing over alleged shady business practices and a "corporate bullying mentality."
McMullen argued the line of questioning was irrelevant and would be "embarrassing."
He has seven days to submit a written explanation. The order was signed Aug. 1, 2025.
The judge's order says the information will be kept under seal if it's deemed to be relevant, or not entered into the record if not.
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