Gay Pastor Lied About Anti-Gay Slur On Whole Foods Cake, Tried To Sue

We’ve all heard the phrase, “you can’t have your cake and eat it, too,” and the man who tried to sue Whole Foods in April — after claiming a Whole Foods employee wrote a homophobic slur on a cake he ordered — proved that statement to be true.

In a statement Monday, Pastor Jordan Brown of Austin, Texas, told the media he would not be pursuing further legal action against Whole Foods concerning this matter. The original video, posted to Kaplan Law Firm’s YouTube account, has also been removed.

In his statement, Brown, who is openly gay, issued an apology to Whole Foods and the bakery department employee. Brown also admitted that his claim was purposely inaccurate, according to several news outlets, including the Sacramento Bee and The Dallas Morning News.

“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.”

In response, Whole Foods issued a statement on its website. The grocery chain also referred to the incident as a hoax:

The story that sparked this bizarre case started in April when Pastor Jordan Brown purchased a cake from an Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Bakery, and requested the cake be inscribed with “Love Wins.” Instead, Brown said he discovered the phrase “Love Wins Fag.” He then quickly filed a lawsuit against Whole Foods.

Things escalated when Whole Foods brought a countersuit against Brown for defamation. Whole Foods also claimed that neither the brand nor the employee committed any wrongdoings.

Questions regarding the legitimacy of Brown’s claim began to circulate after Whole Foods posted an in-store video of Brown purchasing the cake. The video showed the UPC label in a different location after he took the cake home.

After this whole fiasco, we hope there isn’t too much love lost because, after all, “love wins.”

Photo Credit: Danger And Play