Former Walmart Exec Drops Law Suit Against Ex-Wife

Former Wal-Mart Stores Inc. executive John Ryan has dropped the $20-million suit against his ex-wife and Fayetteville attorney Doug Gramling.

As you may recall, Ryan claimed his ex-spouse and Gramling, of the Fayetteville firm Estes Gramling and Estes, sullied his reputation during a nasty divorce, and as a result, he had a hard time doing business in his post-Walmart career.

But his case, filed in Benton County Circuit Court in February 2014, was tossed out, with prejudice, by circuit judge Brad Karren. Ryan vowed to appeal the case all the way up to the Arkansas Supreme Court, but he unexpectedly asked that the appeal be dismissed. What that means is that Karren’s ruling stands. Ryan’s suit against his ex-wife and Gramling is dead.

Whispers was told Ryan’s ex-wife is relieved the case is over. So is Gramling. His attorney, Ed Lowther, issued this statement: “The claim against Doug was untrue. He did nothing wrong, legally or ethically. Mr. Ryan’s attacks on Doug’s character and integrity were completely unjustified. These facts would have come out at trial, but we’re glad that Doug has been spared the time and money which otherwise would have been required to refute Mr. Ryan’s baseless accusations.”

A former business associate of Ryan’s had this to say about the man and his case:

“He is just a small-time bully, frustrated he could not force his will on people, not to mention that he is not an honorable man, putting his wife of many years through such a trauma and then going bankrupt to avoid her divorce settlement. Not a man of class or pride, I guess.”

Ryan’s bankruptcy cases were dismissed in early December because he wasn’t filing monthly financial reports. On New Year’s Eve, he asked that the Gramling case be dismissed. That same day, he filed a new, $17.8-million bankruptcy in the Western District of Arkansas.

Simple circumstance or curious timing? We’ll let you decide.