The Internet put on its sleuthing hat last month, trying to determine whether a pastor’s complaint of a gay slur on a Whole Foods cake was a hoax.
Now, the truth appears to be out as the man in question has apologized to the grocery chain and dropped his legal action, prompting the grocery chain to also drop its countersuit.
Pastor Jordan Brown had originally sued the grocery store for emotional distress, claiming he was given a custom cake that was decorated with an anti-gay sentiment.
The Internet went into investigative overdrive, with social media divided on its opinion — those who were sure it was faked; and those who stood by the Texas man.
The Whole Foods countersuit was dropped after Brown announced he was dropping his own legal action Monday, doing so because they “did nothing wrong,” according to a release he issued.
He apologized to “Whole Foods and its team members for questioning the company’s commitment to its values.” He also specifically apologized to the employee he originally alleged was responsible for the offensive cake, along with the LGBT community, his family, church and legal representation.
Following Brown’s statement, Whole Foods issued a statement of their own saying it was “pleased” that the matter had been resolved with Brown’s apology and the cessation of legal action.
“We’re very pleased that the truth has come to light,” the statement read.
“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.”
Alleged gay slur
In April, Brown said he requested that the cake say, “Love Wins,” but received a cake that said “Love Wins Fag” instead.
Brown says he was in a rush when he picked up the cake and didn’t notice the gay slur until he was stopped at a light in his car. He said he has ordered many cakes from Whole Foods before and never had an issue. He called the company and was given an apology and an offer a gift card and replacement cake by the outlet’s manager.
Whole foods denied the allegations, stating that it has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination. The offer and apology was later rescinded following an internal investigation.
The grocery store said the bakery team member who decorated the cake is a member of the LGBTQ community and that other team members confirmed that the cake only said “Love Wins.”
“Our team member wrote ‘Love Wins’ at the top of the cake as requested by the guest, and that’s exactly how the cake was packaged and sold at the store,” Whole Foods said. “Our team members do not accept or design bakery orders that include language or images that are offensive.”