Coffee Chain Sued Over Cancelled Book Promotion Contract

-based coffee and restaurant chain Busboys and Poets after the company ended an agreement to promote and sell his 2023 novel. Jordan Randall's book Pinkface centers on a high school senior who pretends to transition in order to improve his college admissions chances.

The complaint states that Busboys and Poets initially accepted the book for promotion and signed a consignment contract with Randall on November 6, 2022.

Under the agreement, Randall was to receive 60 percent of each $15 book sold. The complaint alleges that the company later reversed its position after receiving a photograph of the author. Busboys and Poets offered shifting explanations for the cancellation, including that the book contained an anti-trans trope and that Randall was writing about experiences he did not personally identify with.

The suit claims the company continued to promote similar books by authors writing outside their own identities.

The lawsuit alleges violations of federal and Maryland civil rights laws, breach of contract, and defamation. It further claims the cancellation damaged Randall's professional reputation and future career opportunities. A company representative stated in court transcripts that the book contained an anti-trans trope and that a progressive bookstore might be uncomfortable with the subject matter. F.

Kuang and works by Juno Dawson. C. metropolitan area and is owned by Iraqi-born artist and restaurateur Andy Shallal.