Court Grants Schnatter Access to Papa John’s Records

After six months of deliberation, a Delaware judge has ordered pizza giant Papa John’s to hand over internal documents to ousted founder and former CEO John Schnatter related to his departure from the company, according to an article in Nation’s Restaurant News.

The ruling is the latest development in a battle for control of the company that began after Schnatter's ousting last year.

Schnatter sued the company last July for access to the records related to the decision-making process behind his dismissal to determine whether the board “breached their duty of care,” according to the original filing.

The NRN article explained that according to court documents, the Delaware judge found that because Schnatter is still a member of the board of directors and the largest stockholder of the company, Papa John’s can’t restrict his access to internal documents, and that Papa John’s failed to sufficiently provide evidence that Schnatter’s demands are improper.