Florida's New AG Sues Target Over DEI Initiatives

Florida's new attorney general filed a federal court lawsuit against Target on Thursday, claiming the discount store chain "misled investors" by promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that prompted a backlash and hurt sales, ultimately costing shareholders. Before it scaled back its DEI efforts last month, Target was long considered a corporate advocate for the rights of Black and LGBTQ+ people. In 2023, the company removed some of its LGBTQ+ merchandise after the Pride month items outraged some shoppers and sparked confrontations in some stores.

• In the lawsuit filed in Fort Myers, Florida, Attorney General James Uthmeier argued that Target violated the Securities Exchange Act by failing to disclose "the known risks" of its DEI and Pride month initiatives, the AP reports.

• "Corporations that push radical leftist ideology at the expense of financial returns jeopardize the retirement security of Florida's first responders and teachers," Uthmeier said in a statement. "My office will stridently pursue corporate reform so that companies get back to the business of doing business—not offensive political theatre."
• Uthmeier, who was appointed as attorney general by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis this week, has pledged to use the state's legal muster to "champion an America-first agenda."
• Target announced in late January that it planned to discontinue a program aimed at better serving Black employees, Black shoppers, and Black-owned businesses.

(More Target stories.)