Target must face shareholder lawsuit over Pride backlash, US judge rules [View all]

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Target must face shareholder lawsuit over Pride backlash, US judge rules
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/topstories/target-must-face-shareholder-lawsuit-over-pride-backlash-us-judge-rules/ar-AA1vkWc7

(Reuters) -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 (DEI) 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 DEI programs and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives "cannot be whitewashed with boilerplate language or ignored."

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