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# Judge Rejects Sherry-Lehmann Racketeering Claim Against CEO, Reporters
- URL: https://bevnews.net/judge-rejects-sherry-lehmann-racketeering-claim-against-ceo-reporters/
- Published: 2026-09-30T01:06:32.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-30T01:06:32.000Z
- Author: Joel Whitaker
- Tags: Bankruptcy

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit in which Sherry-Lehmann, once one of the iconic wine sellers of the U.S. and now in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Act protection, accused its former CEO, **Michael Aaron,** and *New York Times* reporter James Stewart of sharing a common purpose in trying to create "clickbait stories" about its 2023 demise. 

The judge dismissed the case, saying Sherry-Lehmann had failed to prove its case. The retailer alleged Aaron was trying to avoid his personal guarantee of its rental obligations and Stewart was seeking a Pulitzer Prize by presenting a false "manifesto of purported wrongdoing" to federal and state ​investigators, wholesalers, customers and readers.

He also permitted Sherry-Lehmann's lawyers to withdraw from the case. They said they had not been paid. 

Unlike more recent bankruptcies, Sherry-Lehmann's case resulted from its inability to deliver $1.02 million in wine it had not delivered to its customers.