those stores became "immediately profitable" for Caldor. Estate of Thornton v. Caldor, Inc. Caldor was the subject of a lawsuit filed by former employee Donald Thornton, who claimed he was fired by the company for refusing to work on Sunday, which was his Sabbath day. Thornton contended that by forcing him to work one Sunday a month, Caldor was violating a Connecticut state law that permitted him to observe his Sabbath without opposition from his employer. Caldor contended that the law was unconstitutional as it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The lawsuit was filed in 1980, and eventually the case was heard before the United States Supreme Court, wherein Caldor's position was upheld. Purchase by Associated Dry Goods In 1981, Associated Dry Goods (ADG), the owners of Lord & Taylor and other quality department stores, purchased Caldor, Inc. for $313 million. Attracted to its growth potential and low debt, the 63-store Caldor chain was ADG's first entry into the realm of discount retailing. Bennett was retained under a three-year contract, and ADG brought on several other Caldor executives. Carl Bennett's retirement In March 1984, Carl Bennett announced that he would retire on May 31, 1985, after 33 years with the company. At the time of this announcement, Caldor had 100 stores and over $1 billion in sales. After his three-year contract with Associated Dry Goods expired, Bennett looked forward to retirement and spending time relaxing, playing tennis, reading a few new books, and vacationing. ADG wanted Bennett to stay as long as possible. "After all", said one corporate insider, "Carl Bennett is Caldor". Bennett died on December 23, 2021, aged 101. Sale and filing for bankruptcy In 1989, May Department Stores (which was Associated Dry Goods' successor upon merging with May in 1986) announced it would sell Caldor to a group that included Odyssey Partners and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. As the 1990s emerged, Caldor would run into troubles. In 1995, Caldor filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The chain found itself unable to compete with the lower prices and wider selection of such stores as Wal-Mart (which had acquired several former Caldor stores), causing a dramatic loss in sales. Caldor also had trouble meeting its financial goals, and losses mounted. Shortly before filing for bankruptcy, Caldor had $1.2 billion in assets and $883 million in liabilities, the lowest amount of assets