Whole Foods Is Using Security Footage to Sue a Gay Pastor for an Unlikely Reason

8c630431de61c8a1a291469c5360c3e0-d37x88wBy Hayley Peterson. Whole Foods is suing a pastor who claimed that the grocery chain sold him a cake decorated with a homophobic slur.

Jordan Brown, an openly gay pastor at Austin’s Church of Open Doors, posted a video last week claiming that the cake he bought at Whole Foods was decorated with the words “Love Wins F–” . . .

The video went viral online and he filed a lawsuit alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress.

But Whole Foods claims in a countersuit that its employees didn’t write the slur on the cake, the Statesman reports. (Read more from “Whole Foods Is Using Security Footage to Sue a Gay Pastor for an Unlikely Reason” HERE)

____________________________________________

Updated Whole Foods Market Response

By Whole Foods Market. After a deeper investigation of Mr. Brown’s claim, we believe his accusations are fraudulent and we intend to take legal action against both Mr. Brown and his attorney. Here’s what we know:

Our bakery team member wrote “Love Wins” at the top of the cake, which was visible to Mr. Brown through the clear portion of the packaging. That’s exactly how the cake was packaged and sold at the store. Whole Foods Market has a strict policy that prohibits team members from accepting or designing bakery orders that include language or images that are offensive.

Mr. Brown admits that he was in sole possession and control of the cake until he posted his video, which showed the UPC label on the bottom and side of the box.

After reviewing our security footage of Mr. Brown, it’s clear that the UPC label was in fact on top of the cake box, not on the side of the package. This is evident as the cashier scans the UPC code on top of the box, which you can view here.

We stand behind our bakery team member, who is part of the LGBTQ community, and we appreciate the team members and shoppers who recognize that this claim is completely false and directly contradicts Whole Foods Market’s inclusive culture, which celebrates diversity.

Yours Truly, Whole Foods Market

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.