Target must face shareholder lawsuit over Pride backlash, US judge rules

By Free Republic | Created at 2024-12-06 12:44:10 | Updated at 2024-12-22 16:07:27 2 weeks ago

Target must face shareholder lawsuit over Pride backlash, US judge rules
KSL ^

Posted on 12/06/2024 4:30:53 AM PST by TigerClaws

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Target has failed to persuade a judge in Florida to dismiss a lawsuit that accused the retailer of deceiving shareholders after its sales of LGBTQ-themed merchandise for Pride Month sparked a backlash and a customer boycott.

U.S. District Judge John Badalamenti in Fort Myers ruled that the plaintiffs had presented enough information for now to pursue claims that Target misled investors about its efforts to guard against social and political risks.

The lawsuit from investor Brian Craig claims that Target's board focused only on activist groups' calls for diversity, equity and inclusion measures and overlooked potential negative responses to the Pride campaign in May 2023.

Target did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

America First Legal, the conservative group that filed the lawsuit last year, in a statement on Wednesday called the court ruling a "warning to publicly traded corporations' boards and management." The group said the risk of diversity, equity and inclusion programs and environmental, social, and governance initiatives "cannot be whitewashed with boilerplate language or ignored."

Target had urged Badalamenti to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that there was no evidence backing the allegations, that it had warned investors about a potential diversity, equity and inclusion backlash, and that the complaint was based merely on Craig's disagreement with the company's business decisions.

America First filed the lawsuit in Florida federal court in August 2023.

America First and other conservative groups have accused some major U.S. companies of undertaking diversity and inclusion efforts at the expense of shareholders.

Target pulled some LGBTQ-themed merchandise linked to Pride Month last year, citing increased confrontations between shoppers and employees and incidents of products being thrown on the floor.

TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: abominationmonth; homosexualagenda; lgbt; lgbtq; pridemonth

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1 posted on 12/06/2024 4:30:53 AM PST by TigerClaws

To: TigerClaws

Pride goes before destruction

2 posted on 12/06/2024 4:36:00 AM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the Days of Lot; They id Eat, They Drank, They Bought, They Sold ......)

To: TigerClaws

lol... Go woke, go broke!

3 posted on 12/06/2024 4:36:00 AM PST by mad_as_he$$

To: All

This could open door to similar lawsuits - if allowed - and may close the “Pride” marketing.

Bud Light lawsuit up next? That cost the company about half its business and those customers are gone forever.

Be interesting to watch.

4 posted on 12/06/2024 4:37:40 AM PST by TigerClaws

To: TigerClaws

FAFO...

5 posted on 12/06/2024 4:38:32 AM PST by HYPOCRACY (Democracy is dead. Long live the Republic!)

To: TigerClaws

Target 🎯 went all Godless Reprobate promoting
homosexuality, LGBTQ / “transgender”

Hope the lawsuit is successful

🙏🙏🙏

6 posted on 12/06/2024 4:43:54 AM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the Days of Lot; They id Eat, They Drank, They Bought, They Sold ......)

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