The Chain Gang

Pinkberry Officially Distances Itself From Co-Founder Suspected of Beating Homeless Man

Pinkberry.
Pinkberry. Photo: Sunshinecity via Flickr

Just in case it wasn’t clear, Pinkberry wants to go on the record saying that it has nothing to do with the alleged criminal antics of co-founder Young Lee. The fro-yo chain’s senior vice-president of marketing and design, Laura Jakobsen, has released a statement clarifying, “Mr. Young Lee has no involvement with Pinkberry, our partners or our more than 170 stores world-wide. Pinkberry ended its ties with Mr. Lee formally on May 1, 2010.” That’s roughly a year before Young’s alleged incident in Downtown L.A. that involved him beating a homeless man with a tire iron.

The chain’s statement goes on to say: “[Lee] has no influence or input into the company in any way, and the parties have not been in communication with one another since Mr. Lee’s exit … While it would be inappropriate for us to speculate on the allegations in question, we can say without hesitation that Pinkberry values the communities we serve and stands against acts of violence of any kind, especially those involving the most vulnerable among us.”

So, in case you were still wondering, let it be known that Pinkberry is not okay with tire-iron beatings.

Earlier: Pinkberry Co-Founder Suspected of Assaulting Homeless Man With a Tire Iron

Pinkberry Officially Distances Itself From Co-Founder Suspected of Beating