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On Friday morning, Superior Court Judge Jeffrey B. Barton will listen to arguments from both sides after Minnesota-based Target Corp. sued the San Diego-based Canvass For A Cause (CFAC) to prevent the grass-roots activist group from gathering petition signatures in front of its stores in California.Really, Target? Do they think folks will really think that? Silly company.
The fundamental American right to free speech is at the heart of this case, said Tres Watson, executive director of CFAC who is a San Diego resident.
In an earlier court date on March 8, Judge Barton denied a motion by Target’s attorneys seeking a temporary restraining order against CFAC. Barton ruled that the right of free speech trumps over the business interest of Target in refusing the request.
In a court document, a Target official at the Poway store complained that CFAC volunteers were talking to customers about gay marriage, among other issues, and contended that they had received complaints from some customers who were upset by the topic.
Court documents also show that Target Corp. is worried that the company may be viewed as being for gay marriage if activist groups like CFAC are allowed to speak to their customers.
Carmen Cacciatore, co-founder of Fly-Life marketing agency, announced this afternoon that the earlier reported deal between Target Corp. and Lady Gaga was dissolved this past week.
Bob Witeck of Witeck-Combs Communications was familiar with the dissolved deal, although he does not represent Gaga or any of the parties, and told Metro Weekly, "Despite the expectation that this was all unfolding as a deal, it has been in a sensitive stage of continued discussion for probably the last three weeks."She tried and I think she could had made this work.
He added, "Quite a few people, even early on, were afraid it was going to dissolve."
In February, talking to Billboard about the deal, Gaga had said, "[O]ur relationship is hinged upon their reform in the company to support the gay community and to redeem the mistakes they've made supporting those groups." Target had faced criticism in 2010 for donations the company made to groups supporting candidates who oppose LGBT equality.
Of today's announcement, Witeck said, "They wanted to make it public now. They decided it was important that people know there is no deal."
In an exclusive interview with the music publication, Gaga reveals she wasn't comfortable with the Target partnership when it first came up as a possibility and that she met with "the entire executive staff" at the company.I have to admit, she has the star power. Do your thang, Gaga... Just make sure your other songs are better than 'Born This Way'.
"That discussion was one of the most intense conversations I've ever had in a business meeting," Gaga says. "Part of my deal with Target is that they have to start affiliating themselves with LGBT charity groups and begin to reform and make amends for the mistakes they've made in the past ... our relationship is hinged upon their reform in the company to support the gay community and to redeem the mistakes they've made supporting those [antigay] groups."
