Pastor Jordan Brown, the openly gay pastor who filed a lawsuit against Whole Foods claiming a baker wrote a gay slur on a cake, dropped the lawsuit Monday.
Brown, who leads the Church of Open Doors, accused Whole Foods bakery of selling him a cake with the message “Love wins” and “fag” written in icing.
Brown originally stated he purchased the cake at the store on Lamar Boulevard in Austin, Texas.
But when store officials reviewed surveillance video, it showed Brown at the checkout counter holding a cake box with a UPC code label on the top. Brown tweeted a photo of a cake box that shows the UPC label affixed to the side of the box.
The grocery chain filed a counter lawsuit against Brown, accusing him of trying to defraud the company.
Brown issued an apology on Monday, saying the store did nothing wrong. In turn, Whole Foods will drop the countersuit.
Today I am dismissing my lawsuit against Whole Foods Market. The company did nothing wrong. I was wrong to pursue this matter and use the media to perpetuate this story. I want to apologize to Whole Foods and its team members for questioning the company’s commitment to its values, and especially the bakery associate who I understand was put in a terrible position because of my actions. I apologize to the LGBT community for diverting attention from real issues. I also want to apologize to my partner, my family, my church family, and my attorney.
Thanks to loyal readers Maria R. and Let Your Soul Glow for the tips.
