Samuel "Wesley" McCabe and John Elson v. General Foods Corporation, Alan Moltz, Abner Ladson and Does 1-100

Samuel “Wesley” McCabe brought an action against his former employer, General Foods Corporation (General Foods) and two of its managers, Alan Moltz and Abner Ladson, and 100 unidentified Does, alleging wrongful discharge and injuries connected with this discharge and seeking damages of $100 million. The district court dismissed Moltz and Ladson and gave summary judgment for General Foods. We affirm.

Background. In 1955 McCabe went to work for General Foods as a laborer at its Los Angeles facility and worked there until 1971. He then opened up his own motel and swimming pool business, and was eventually employed as an officer in the Arizona Sheriff’s Department. In 1976 he returned to work for General Foods as a production foreman. In 1981 he voluntarily quit and went to work in Mexico without any connection with General Foods. In December 1982, returning to California, he was again hired by General Foods as a production foreman. In April 1983 he was involuntarily terminated, leading to this lawsuit.

Moltz was the operations manager of the plant and the person who fired McCabe. Ladson was a production manager at the plant and McCabe’s immediate superior. In his suit, brought…