A consolidated set of shareholder class actions against Target Corp. over its 2023 Pride Month marketing campaign has been relocated from Florida to Minnesota, where the company is headquartered.

The investor claims, concerning an alleged drop in Target's share price after it introduced its Pride marketing campaign, were sent to Minnesota on Wednesday, about two weeks after Target filed notice with the court stating that a key witness it had identified earlier had recently left the company, but still lives in Minnesota.

"One of defendants' key arguments in favor of transfer to the District of Minnesota is that key non-party witnesses reside in Minnesota and are outside this court's subpoena power," Target told a Florida judge in its Nov. 6 filing.

The company said its former chief corporate affairs officer and chief communications officer Katie Boylan is a potential witness whose testimony it may seek should the matter go to trial.

"Ms. Boylan was one of Target's most senior executives who reported directly to Target's CEO, defendant Brian Cornell. If defendants are able to call Ms. Boylan at trial, she would testify about the statements at issue, as she was involved in reviewing and approving all of Target's public statements, including its annual reports, proxies, and the May 24, 2023 statements regarding backlash to [Target's 2023 Pride] collection," Target said.

The company added that Boylan could also talk about the company's risk oversight as a former member of the company's leadership team task force.

Target's transfer motion, filed in August, told the Florida court that "courts across the country routinely transfer representative actions to the forum in which they can most conveniently be litigated without regard for where they were originally filed. Here, the most convenient forum is Minnesota."

The parties that brought the now-consolidated cases include the State Board of Administration of Florida, which manages the Sunshine State's investments.

The Minnesota court will now oversee investor claims filed after the retailer became embroiled in criticism of its 2023 Pride offerings, which the suit describes as "exceptionally offensive."

The latest version of the claims, from February, cites market records showing that in May 2023, prior to the introduction of the Pride marketing, trading prices for Target shares were near $161, but by October 2023 its shares had fallen to as low as $105.

The investors are represented by James Uthmeier of the Florida Attorney General's Office, Reed D. Rubinstein and Andrew J. Block of America First Legal Foundation, R. Trent McCotter of Boyden Gray PLLC, and Paul C. Huck Jr., Samuel J. Salario Jr. and Jason B. Gonzalez of Lawson Huck Gonzalez PLLC.

Target and its board members are represented by Sandra C. Goldstein, Alexander Rodney, Jacob M. Rae and Ashley Grolig of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Traci T. McKee, Jeffrey P. Justman and Sandra Dawn Grannum of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP.

The case is In re Target Corp. Securities Class Action Litigation, case number 0:25-cv-04380, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.