Vistaprint: Gay couple wedding program mix-up unintentional

BOSTON (AP) — The CEO of a printing company that was sued by a gay couple who received pamphlets about temptation and sin instead of wedding programs said Tuesday that it was an unintentional order mix-up.

Vistaprint CEO Trynka Shineman said the company's investigation into the matter found that the pamphlets and wedding programs were printed simultaneously and the wrong shipping label was inadvertently put on the boxes by a third-party partner.

"Humans are involved in our process and with that, we're not perfect. We make mistakes and that's what happened in this case," Shineman said.

Stephen Heasley and Andrew Borg filed a lawsuit in federal court in Boston last month, accusing the company of attacking them because they are gay by replacing their programs with the religious pamphlets. The Dutch company has a regional headquarters in Massachusetts.

The pamphlets included phrases such as "fight against Satan's temptation and pursue what is good" and "do not set on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers." The couple said they believed the pamphlets were meant to intimidate and threaten them.

Shineman said the flyers were designed for a religious program, adding that they did not single out any group or organization. She said the mix-up was not a "malicious act," but the result of human error.

Vistaprint has resolved the matter with the couple and the lawsuit will be dismissed, Shineman said.

David Gottlieb, an attorney for the couple, said their resolution included an apology from Vistaprint and an agreement that the company would make donations to LGBTQ organizations in the U.S. and Australia, where the men live.

"We have always wanted to use this as an opportunity to create greater understanding and acceptance of the LGBTQ community," Heasley and Borg said in a statement. "We've accepted Vistaprint's apology, and will work with them to select U.S. and Australian-based organizations that they will be making donations to in order to further achieve this mission," they said.

The Gayly. February 9, 2018. 12:45 p.m. CST.