A defamation lawsuit filed by a former Bardstown Bourbon Company executive against a whistleblower has been dismissed.

Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Julie Kaelin on June 12 dismissed the lawsuit filed by former BBC chief commercial officer Herb Heneman. The judge also awarded former human resources vice president Sylvia Sanders court costs.

Heneman was mentioned in Sanders’ discrimination lawsuit against the company, but he was not party to the suit.

On Feb. 13, Sanders filed a lawsuit in Nelson County accusing Bardstown Bourbon Company, parent Lofted Spirits, Lofted CEO Mark Erwin, BBC president Peter Marino, Pritzker Private Capital Investment Partners and PPC operating partner Christian Brickman of gender discrimination and retaliation.

Bardstown Bourbon and parent Lofted Spirits are part of Pritzker Private Capital, which is owned by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Anthony N. Pritzker. Gov. Pritzker is not involved in the company.

Heneman alleged that Sanders’ suit “made utterly false derogatory and disparaging statements against” him.

In the discrimination suit, Sanders alleges she was fired after sending a lengthy memo to Erwin outlining widespread concerns, including what she called a pattern of bias involving multiple female executives who had been fired or forced out under Erwin’s tenure. Among the fired executives, Sanders said in the memo to Erwin, was a former marketing director who had raised concerns about Heneman, the marketing director’s boss at the time.

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