Papa John’s Founder Scores Major Win in the U.S. Court of Appeals, Securing Jury Trial Against Former Ad Firm

Schnatter: “I am grateful for this opportunity to finally expose the truth and correct the record in front of a jury once and for all”

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept. 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has delivered a decisive ruling in John H. Schnatter v. 247 Group, LLC et al. The Court rejected an effort by ad firm Laundry Service, owned by 2028 LA Olympics Chairman Casey Wasserman, to avoid a jury trial. The ruling delivers Papa John’s founder John Schnatter a major victory in his quest to hold the ad firm accountable for maliciously leaking a deceptively edited excerpt from a secretly taped conference call that led to the founder’s resignation as chairman of the iconic company he founded.

“After Laundry Service failed to win on the merits, it moved to compel arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act,” the U.S. Court of Appeals observed, determining that “by aggressively litigating this case in court before moving to compel, Laundry Service had given up its contractual right to arbitrate.”

The ruling cements Schnatter’s legal position and clears the way for a jury trial, where he plans to prove that Laundry Service manipulated and intentionally reversed his statements against racism to damage his reputation and the Papa John’s brand he built over 34 years.

The Sixth Circuit rebuked Laundry Service’s litigation tactics, writing that “seeking an immediate and total victory before invoking the right to arbitrate is entirely inconsistent with later requesting that those same merits questions be resolved in arbitration.” The opinion further stated that “Laundry Service manifested its intent to litigate rather than arbitrate this dispute” and condemns the firm’s approach as a “heads I win, tails you lose” strategy the law cannot permit.

“This decision represents a victory for Truth,” said Schnatter. “I’ve fought for years to defend my name against a false and malicious attack, and the Sixth Circuit has affirmed that the facts — and the law — are on our side. This lawsuit has always been about bringing accountability for the set-up by Laundry Service and exposing some bad actors at the company I founded for their poor judgement at the time and ever since, damaging our brand in the process. I am grateful for this opportunity the U.S. Court of Appeals has provided me to finally expose the truth and correct the record in front of a jury once and for all.” Schnatter has previously announced that all net proceeds from this lawsuit will be donated to charity.

Reference: U.S. Court of Appeals Sixth Circuit Case Number (Case No. 24-5916)
To learn more about the case, please visit https://papajohnschnatter.com/schnatter-v-wasserman-media/

Contact: Gabrielle Abdelnour
Abdelnour@proactivecommunications.com
(248)-904-5321

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