Michael Seifert, founder and CEO of PublicSquare, has joined a pivotal legal challenge alongside the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, seeks to protect religious freedoms and Christian business practices against government mandates imposed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The legal case highlights the conflict between government mandates and the Christian values upheld by businesses like PublicSquare, America’s leading commerce and payments ecosystem, that supports businesses rooted in life, family, and freedom. In his official declaration to the court, Seifert outlined PublicSquare's commitment to aligning its business and employment practices with Christian beliefs, stating:
"Our Christian values influence almost everything we do at PublicSquare. These ethics inform our business, including how we source merchants and communicate with Christian audiences about PublicSquare’s services."
PublicSquare, which hosts millions of consumers and over 80,000 vendors, operates a values-driven marketplace and payments ecosystem. The company integrates Christian principles in all aspects of its business, from its financial technology solutions to its wholly-owned subsidiary, EveryLife, which offers premium baby products and actively supports pro-life initiatives. Seifert emphasized that PublicSquare’s operations are deeply rooted in faith, with well over 67% of voting rights held by Christian shareholders.
The lawsuit focuses on the EEOC’s and HHS’s mandates that conflict with PublicSquare’s Christian beliefs, particularly regarding healthcare provisions. Seifert affirmed the company's refusal to provide coverage for abortion or gender-transition procedures, stating, "PublicSquare is a company that proudly celebrates life and family. To provide coverage for unethical and immoral procedures that conflict with the furtherance of life and healthy families would be to deny the very principles that guide our business. No business owner should be forced to sacrifice their deeply held religious beliefs as they seek to provide a generous benefits package to employees.”
The case aims to defend the right of businesses like PublicSquare to operate according to their faith without government interference, setting a precedent for how companies guided by religious principles engage with regulatory policies.
PublicSquare remains unwavering in its commitment to life, family, and freedom, with Seifert reiterating the company's dedication to promoting these values in every facet of its business.
About PublicSquare
PublicSquare is America's leading commerce and payments ecosystem, valuing life, family, and liberty. PublicSquare operates under three segments: Marketplace, Financial Technology, and Brands. The primary mission of the Marketplace segment is to help consumers “shop their values” and put purpose behind their purchases. PublicSquare leverages data and insights from the Marketplace to assess its customers’ needs and provide wholly-owned quality financial products and brands. PublicSquare’s Financial Technology segment comprises Credova, a consumer financing and payments company. PublicSquare’s Brands segment comprises EveryLife, a premium D2C life-affirming baby products company. The PublicSquare Marketplace is free to join for both consumers and business owners. Download the app on the App Store or Google Play, or visit PublicSquare.com to learn more.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241016361106/en/
Contacts
Investors Contact: investment@publicsq.com
Media Contact: press@publicsq.com
