Pork roll maker accused of firing worker who passed too much gas

This story was published Oct. 1, 2015.

Who cut the pork roll, egg and cheese?

One of the state’s leading pork roll makers is being sued by the wife of an employee who was allegedly fired for passing too much gas in the office.

Louann Clem, who worked alongside her husband at Case Pork Roll Co. in Trenton, says that after her husband got gastric bypass surgery he suffered serious consequences, including “extreme gas and uncontrollable diarrhea.”

As a result, the president and owner at Case allegedly began harassing Clem and his wife when the odor of Rich’s flatulence overpowered the aroma of their company’s processed meat product.

Case President Thomas Dolan complained about the side effects and told Clem to work from home because the office smelled, Louann’s federal lawsuit claims.

“We have to do something about Rich,” the lawsuit claims Dolan told Louann Clem. “This can’t go on.”

“Why is Rich having these side effects?”

“Is Rich following his doctor’s recommendations?”

“We can’t run an office and have visitors with the odor in the office.”

“Tell Rich that we are getting complaints from visitors who have problems with the odors.”

Owner Tom Grieb on Tuesday denied the accusations and said that neither Clem had been fired in 2014.

“Business wasn’t good. They didn’t want to take a pay cut and walked out,” he said. “Neither one were fired. They are just saying that.”

Grieb said both Clems pursued a discrimination complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, but the EEOC did not pursue Louann’s case, allowing her to sue. Her husband’s EEOC complaint is pending, he said.

“They were never discriminated against,” Grieb added. “Even I took a pay cut. He refused and he just walked out. That was the end of it.”

Louann is suing under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and the state Law Against Discrimination because of her association with her husband, who was 420 pounds and had an obesity disability.

She is seeking an unspecified amount of punitive and compensatory damages. Her attorney, David M. Koller of Philadelphia, did not return a request for comment by Tuesday.

Case’s is one of the two most widely recognized brands of pork roll in New Jersey — the other is Taylor, made by Trenton-based Taylor Provisions Co.

North Jersey residents and diner menus tend to insist on calling pork roll “Taylor ham.”

Case's traces its history back to 1870 and butcher George Washington Case of the Belle Mead section of Montgomery.

Staff Writer Sergio Bichao: 908-243-6615; sbichao@mycentraljersey.com