Strategy January 19, 2018
Vistaprint Sued By Gay Couple Over 'Hateful' Flyers
Massachusetts-based Vistaprint, a global e-commerce seller of promotional products and printed marketing materials owned by Top 40 distributor Cimpress (asi/162149), is being sued by a recently married gay couple after they allegedly received discriminatory flyers instead of their wedding programs.
According to the federal lawsuit, Stephen Heasley and Andrew Borg of Australia opened a package from Vistaprint the night before their wedding in Butler County, PA. Instead of the blue and yellow programs they’d ordered, the couple found about 80 flyers titled “Understanding Temptation: Fight the good fight of the faith.”
There were a number of statements printed on the flyers that the couple alleges were purposefully meant to threaten them as a direct result of their sexual orientation, the lawsuit stated. Furthermore, the couple insists that agents or employees of Vistaprint intended to discriminate against them by choosing not to provide them with the same services as a straight couple, ABC News reported.
In addition to the emotional damages, the couple says they paid Vistaprint $79.49 for 100 copies of their programs, yet they were forced to print their own programs at an extra cost just before their wedding, the lawsuit stated. Since they had already paid Vistaprint, the couple alleges the company was in breach of contract. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages as a result of economic, mental and emotional distress.
“Our goal is to hold Vistaprint accountable for the harm they have caused, to give a voice to others who may have been similarly victimized, to help prevent this from happening to someone else and to send a message that there will be consequences for acts of hate perpetrated against others,” Borg and Heasley said in a statement obtained by Boston ABC affiliate WCVB.
In a letter sent to customers on Wednesday, the CEOs of Vistaprint and Cimpress Trynka Shineman and Robert Keane wrote that they learned of the “extremely disheartening” incident on January 16. “We have never been more disappointed to let a customer down,” they wrote. “Vistaprint in no way condones – and does not tolerate – discrimination against any of our customers based on their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. We have encouraged members of the LGBTQ community to use our services to help celebrate their life events for many years, and have published thousands of wedding invitations, programs and other content for same sex couples.”
According to the letter, a third party which fills Vistaprint orders sent the couple an order meant for a different customer, though the investigation is ongoing. “We have reached out to the couple to express our sadness that this incident occurred, and disappointment that this in any way diminished the joy of their wedding day memories,” the letter stated. “We are hoping to establish a dialogue with them so together we can use this incident as an opportunity to shine a light on important LGBTQ issues.”