Lawsuit Linking Jewel to Kroger Could Expose Details Behind CEO’s Abrupt Resignation

Rodney McMullen’s sudden departure after decades at the grocery giant faces new scrutiny as a legal battle over a wellness festival partnership heads toward trial.

In March 2025, Kroger’s long-serving chief executive officer Rodney McMullen stunned the corporate world by resigning abruptly after nearly five decades with the supermarket chain. His exit, which came with the forfeiture of more than $11 million in unvested stock and bonuses, was attributed to “personal conduct inconsistent with Kroger’s ethics policies.” Yet, the specifics have remained tightly guarded—until now, as a lawsuit involving ’90s folk singer Jewel Kilcher edges closer to revealing more.

The case, filed in 2023, centers on a partnership between Kroger and a wellness festival concept co-created by Jewel and Trevor Drinkwater, CEO of Inclusion Companies. The duo initially struck a five-year deal with Kroger in 2018 via email, agreeing that Drinkwater’s firm would bear the financial risk. From 2018 to 2021, the “Wellness Your Way” festivals flourished, with Jewel performing a dozen times and participating in over 45 panels.

But according to court documents, when the events became profitable, Kroger replaced Jewel and Drinkwater with a company run by the sister of a Kroger executive, allegedly in violation of the grocer’s own ethics policy. The plaintiffs claim they lost $2 million personally and missed out on $5 million in profits.

McMullen, named as a trial witness, has resisted answering questions about his resignation, with his lawyer describing the subject as “embarrassing” and “completely unrelated” to the lawsuit. An Ohio judge, however, ordered him to provide a written explanation by August 8, including the identities of those involved. Whether the public will ever see this document remains uncertain; the court is weighing a protective order that could seal the information from public view.

The dispute is scheduled for trial in May 2026, but the revelations could ripple far beyond the festival spat. Albertsons—Kroger’s former merger partner—has also expressed interest in the details of McMullen’s resignation, suggesting his undisclosed conduct may have distracted from the $25 million deal, which collapsed under regulatory pressure.

McMullen’s departure closed the book on a 47-year career that began in 1978, yet his legacy remains overshadowed by unanswered questions. Whether those answers will come to light may now rest in the hands of a judge—and the unfolding courtroom drama where corporate ethics, celebrity partnerships, and executive accountability collide.