A section of the Stop WOKE Act, or House Bill 7, attempted to ban workplace discussions that lie at the heart of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training conducted by corporations. The plaintiffs consisted of a Florida honeymoon registry company, Honeyfund; Primo Tampa, a majority Black-owned business and Ben & Jerry’s franchisee; and a workplace diversity consultant, Collective Concepts, and co-founder Chevara Orrin.
The federal district court initially granted the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction, and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals then affirmed the injunction, which the plaintiffs’ attorneys said effectively decided the merits of the case in their favor.
The section of the law in question violates free-speech rights under the First and 14th amendments to the Constitution, Walker said in a ruling that permanently stopped enforcement of the section.
Shalini Goel Agarwal, special counsel for Protect Democracy, said she expected that the decision on attorney fees would have a positive impact.
“It’s a substantial award, and we are hopeful that it will help to steer Florida and any other states that are considering similar actions in the right direction,” Goel Agarwal told the Florida Record.
