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Minister who claimed anti-gay slur on Whole Foods cake to drop lawsuit

Pastor Jordan Brown takes a moment to compose himself as he is overcome with emotion during a press conference in April as he speaks about how he felt when he saw a gay slur on a cake he had ordered from Whole Foods. Pastor Jordan Brown and his attorney Austin Kaplan filed a law suit against Whole Foods. RICARDO B. BRAZZIELL/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Pastor Jordan Brown takes a moment to compose himself as he is overcome with emotion during a press conference in April as he speaks about how he felt when he saw a gay slur on a cake he had ordered from Whole Foods. Pastor Jordan Brown and his attorney Austin Kaplan filed a law suit against Whole Foods. RICARDO B. BRAZZIELL/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
By Claudia Grisales and Philip Jankowski
May 16, 2016

A man who accused Whole Foods Market of writing a homophobic slur on a cake will drop a lawsuit against the grocery chain.

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“The company did nothing wrong,” the Rev. Jordan Brown said in a statement. “I was wrong to pursue this matter and use the media to perpetuate this story.”

Brown sued Whole Foods on April 18, announcing the lawsuit publicly while flanked by his lawyers. He told reporters that he had ordered a cake with "Love wins" written in frosting, but when he picked up the cake, he said it had a homophobic slur written on it.

Whole Foods fired back almost immediately, releasing surveillance footage of Brown purchasing the cake, which the grocery chain said was evidence that Brown was lying. Whole Foods filed a counter suit against Brown, an openly gay minister at the Church of Open Doors.

“I want to apologize to Whole Foods and its team members for questioning the company’s commitment to its values,” Brown wrote in his statement.

Brown also apologized to his partner, his family, his fellow church members, his attorney and the LGBT community because he said he was “diverting attention from real issues.”

Neither Whole Foods Market nor Brown’s attorney, Austin Kaplan, could be immediately reached for comment.

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Claudia Grisales and Philip Jankowski

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