J.M. Smucker Sheds Retaliation Suit From Former In-House Lawyer

June 18, 2025, 4:45 PM UTC

A divided Ohio appeals panel on Wednesday declined to revive a lawsuit against J.M. Smucker Co. by one of its former top attorneys over her firing.

The trial judge correctly concluded that Jennifer Whitney didn’t provide direct evidence of retaliation for complaints regarding investigation tactics allegedly undertaken by the company’s compliance department, the Ohio Court of Appeals, Ninth District ruled in a mostly 2-1 decision.

The same went for other ways that she tried to prove retaliation, especially since there was evidence that Whitney had performance issues, Judge Jennifer Hensal wrote for herself and Judge Scot Stevenson.

The ruling ...

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