Pastor who claimed Whole Foods cake had homophobic slur drops suit
AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas pastor who claimed a cake he bought from Whole Foods in Austin had a homophobic slur written on it announced Monday he is dropping his lawsuit against the company, CBS affiliate KEYE reported.
Pastor Jordan Brown released a statement Monday apologizing and saying, "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," the statement read. "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."
The attorneys for Pastor Jordan Brown previously said he ordered a cake from a Whole Foods store with the personalized message "Love Wins," but when he received it, the cake said "Love Wins F**."
In a YouTube video that has since been removed, Pastor Brown claimed he didn't realize what the cake said until he got into his vehicle. In the video, he showed the box containing the cake, apparently still sealed, with the alleged message written on it.
But Whole Foods adamantly disputed his claim.
They said Brown's accusations were fraudulent.
"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," Whole Foods said in a statement. "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."
Whole Foods also released the security footage of Brown checking out of the store, they said further backing their position.
Whole Foods had filed a counter-suit for $100,000 against Brown, claiming fraud, KEYE reported. In a statement released Monday, the company announced it sees "no reason to move forward" with the counter- suit.
The full statement from Whole Foods is below:
"We're very pleased that the truth has come to light. Given Mr. Brown's apology and public admission that his story was a complete fabrication, we see no reason to move forward with our counter suit to defend the integrity of our brand and team members."