Former Outdoor Research Employee Sues The North Face Over ‘Online Smear Campaign’
A former employee of outdoor apparel and gear maker Outdoor Research is suing The North Face and mountain climber Manoah Ainuu over what he calls an “online smear campaign.”
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Johnathan Talbot by America First Legal, a right-leaning advocacy group founded by former Donald Trump adviser Stephen Miller in 2021. The suit alleges that after meeting Ainuu in Bozeman, Montana, in June, Talbot was accused by the mountain climber—who is a sponsored athlete for The North Face—of making racist comments. The suit claims that posts Ainuu made on social media led to termination by Talbot’s employer, Outdoor Research.
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Ainuu, who is of Ethiopian and Samoan descent according to his Instagram profile, posted on the platform after the interaction outside a Bozeman bar, calling Talbot a racist, according to the complaint. The lawsuit states that he accused Talbot, who was product manager gloves for Outdoor Research, of “gaslighting, toxic masculinity and white guilt.” The climber also falsely alleged that Talbot assaulted him, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit alleges that Ainuu later admitted to Outdoor Research that Talbot did not say anything racist, but the company fired him anyway. Talbot was placed on administrative leave on June 23 before being terminated effective July 14. The suit alleges that Talbot is unable to find a new job because of Ainuu’s social media posts.
“Until that fateful day in Bozeman, Montana, when Johnathan Talbot politely introduced himself to North Face-sponsored athlete Manoah Ainuu, he had a career, a reputation, and the belief that he would keep both,” America First Legal senior adviser Ian Prior said in a statement. “Unfortunately, that single encounter led to the destruction of Talbot’s career and reputation, all due to a social media smear campaign launched by Ainuu based on a false and defamatory claim that Talbot had made a racist comment. To make matters worse, this action is in line and was endorsed by The North Face, whose commitment to ‘social justice’ seems to lack an appreciation for either what is appropriate social behavior and what is justice.”
The suit is among many America First Legal has brought against companies and organizations in its mission to “oppose the radical left’s anti-jobs, anti-freedom, anti-faith, anti-borders, anti-police, and anti-American crusade.” The group recently sued Major League Baseball alleging reverse racism and sexism because of its diversity programs, as well as Salesforce for its racial equality and justice task force.
In August, America First Legal sued Target over the retailer’s Pride Month collection. The legal complaint filed in a Florida court alleged the mass merchant made “misleading representations” about its environmental, social and governance (ESG) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies. The lawsuit accused Target of failing to account for the risk of an anti-LGBTQ backlash to its Pride collection.
Outdoor Research and The North Face did not reply to multiple requests for comment.
