While it’s not Sex, Lies and Videotape, it’s close enough. We can call this the “Lies, Pretexts and False Investigations” episode of the yet-to-be-made Market Basket Netflix docuseries which seems to be writing itself by the week.
While the docuseries is only a figment of my imagination, the firing of another longtime executive for the Tewksbury-based grocery company is very real.
This time, the spotlight is on Sue Dufresne, abruptly fired after three decades with the company. Last week, Dufresne was sitting in her work office when she received an email from the Market Basket Board of Directors informing her that she was no longer employed by the company.
According to the board, Dufresne was let go for making “unauthorized public statements” that weren’t “in Market Basket’s interest.” They cited her interviews with the Boston Globe and Boston Herald, claiming she spoke out of loyalty to Arthur T. Demoulas, the recently-ousted CEO who has been locked in a bitter legal feud with the board.
Dufresne insists she stands by every quote she made to the press.
For 30 years, Dufresne helped oversee Market Basket’s finances, including the company’s massive profit-sharing plan that benefits thousands of employees. She also managed several Demoulas family trusts and charitable foundations.
Now, she joins the growing list of top executives dismissed since Arthur T.’s firing. Seven of the company’s top eight leaders are now gone.
In her statement, Dufresne said her termination continues what she calls the board’s “unjustifiable leadership destruction.” She added that she stood up for “truth, values, and ethics,” and accused the board of “lies, pretexts, and false investigations.”
Arthur T. Demoulas called Dufresne “instrumental” to the company’s success and said her firing was “deeply misguided.”
So what’s next in this family food fight? It’s safe to say we’ll find out next week on Market Basket: More For Your Drama.
