Dave Yost pushes Ohio’s pension fund to sue Target on Dei’s policies

In a growing Tiff, Strs Ohio told Attorney General Dave Yost why he has not joined a lawsuit against Target Corp

The Ohio State Masters Retirement System (STRS) and Ohio Dave Yost attorney are colliding if Strs should join a federal lawsuit against Target Corp.
Yost believes that Strs should join the demand because the pension fund lost $ 5 million when the value of Target’s shares decreased, but Strs’s policy dictates that they only join the demands when the losses exceed $ 10 million.
This disagreement marks the second time this year in which Yost has challenged retailers about Dei’s policies, having previously attended to Costco for similar reasons.
Yost, who runs for governor in 2026, serves as a legal advisor to the five public pension systems of OHIO, including the STR, which manages $ 96 billion in investments for 500,000 teachers.

In an increasing TIFF, the Ohio State Masters Retirement System dismissed a brief letter to Attorney General Dave Yost about whether the Public Pension Fund should join A Federal Demand against Target Corp.

Last week, Yost issued a letter to Strs and published it to his Office press release page. He was punished for not joining the demand, noting that the value of Strs’s shares in Target fell for $ 5 million.

A federal values Demand filed in Florida Against Target’s claims that the retailer cheated investors by making false statements about their diversity, equity and inclusion and environmental, social and governance mandates between August 2022 and November 2024. It also alleges that the Merckery of Target’s marketing campaign of the month of Target triggered generalized boycots of customers and a rate after the price of the shares.

The interim executive director of Strs, Aaron Hood, responded to Yost’s letter, saying that “a series of statements made in that letter are misrepresentations regarding statements or decisions that have not been taken by the Board, and it is disappointing to send a distorted representation of this situation.”

Strs has not sought the main plaintiff in the case because his policy is not to get involved if the losses are less than $ 10 million, Hood said.

The policy also says that if the Attorney General advises Strs, it joins a lawsuit, but pension staff recommends against him, the president of the Board can ask the Attorney General to give the Board a launch. That can happen at the retirement system meeting at the end of this month.

This marks the second time this year that Yost has demonstrated an appetite for delaying retailers who have diversity, equity and inclusion policies. In January, Yost joined 18 other state prosecutors to tell Costco To drop your Dei policies or explain why you have not done so.

Yost, Republican, is postulated for governor in 2026.

The Attorney General is the legal advisor of the five Public Pension Systems of Ohio, which are governed by independent boards.

Strs is Ohio’s second largest Public pension fund with $ 96 billion Inverted for 500,000 current and retired teachers.

Laura Bischoff is a reporter from the US Ohio’s Network Office, which serves Columbus’s office, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations in Ohio.