A judge has ruled that former Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen’s resignation and the ethics investigation into his personal conduct are irrelevant to the ongoing lawsuit filed by singer Jewel and her business partners. The lawsuit, which centers on claims that Kroger misused their ideas for the Kroger Wellness Festival and caused over $7 million in damages, sought to include McMullen’s ethics probe as evidence of a corrupt corporate culture. However, the court determined that the circumstances of his departure have no direct bearing on the breach-of-contract allegations, thereby shielding McMullen from being questioned about the matter.