Gutfeld: Whole Foods shouldn't have let hoaxer off the hook
Wonder why manufacturing victimhood is so popular? Because there's no consequence
The Texas pastor who sued Whole Foods in April for allegedly writing a gay slur on a cake he bought withdrew his lawsuit on Monday and apologized to the supermarket chain for perpetrating a hoax, KVUE reported.
"The company did nothing wrong," openly gay pastor Jordan Brown wrote in a Monday statement. "I was wrong to pursue this matter and use the media to perpetuate this story."
Brown said in April that he requested a cake from Whole Foods with the phrase “Love Wins” written on it, but when he received his cake there was a homophobic remark added. Brown made the accusation in an Internet video and launched a lawsuit shortly thereafter.
But alert viewers quickly pointed out that the icing style used to write “Love Wins” and the gay slur appeared to differ, and Whole Foods released surveillance video showing the cake being purchased with the UPC code in a different location than Brown's video, suggesting the cake had been opened and tampered with.
"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 an April statement. "That’s exactly how the cake was packaged and sold at the store."
The bakery member implicity accused by Brown of writing the slur was a "part of the LGBTQ community," according to Whole Foods.
“I want to apologize to Whole Foods and its team members for questioning the company’s commitment to its values, and especially the baker associate who I understand was put in a terrible position because of my actions,” Brown said in the statement.
“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.”
Whole Foods filed a countersuit against Brown and hasn’t said if it would drop that action now that Brown has dropped his lawsuit.
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