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Christian bakers pay over $135,000 to Lesbians

December 30th, 2015 | Tags:
In February 2015, a judge with the Oregon BOLI declared Aaron and Melissa Klein of Sweet Cakes by Melissa guilty of discrimination for declining to make the cake, thus moving the matter into the sentencing phase. Photo: Christian News Network
CHRISTIAN NEWS NETWORK

PORTLAND, Oregon — The Christian owners of a bakery in Oregon have paid over $135,000 in state-ordered “emotional damages” for two lesbian women who filed a complaint after being told that the couple could not provide a cake for their “wedding” ceremony due to their convictions not to be a partaker in other’s sins (1 Timothy 5:22, Ephesians 5:7).

As previously reported, in February, a judge with the Oregon BOLI declared Aaron and Melissa Klein of Sweet Cakes by Melissa guilty of discrimination for declining to make the cake, thus moving the matter into the sentencing phase.

The two lesbian women, Rachel Cryer and Laurel Bowman, submitted individual lists of just under 100 aspects of suffering in order to receive damages. They included “acute loss of confidence,” “doubt,” “distrust of men,” “distrust of former friends,” “excessive sleep,” “discomfort,” “high blood pressure,” “impaired digestion,” “loss of appetite,” “migraine headaches,” “loss of pride,” “mental rape,” “resumption of smoking habit,” “shock” “stunned,” “surprise,” “uncertainty,” “weight gain” and “worry.”

But the Kleins told the court that they too had suffered because of the attacks that they received over their desire to live out their Christian faith in the workplace. They stated that they endured “mafia tactics” as their car was vandalized and broken into on two occasions, their vendors were harassed by homosexual advocates resulting in some businesses breaking ties with them, and they received threatening emails wishing rape, death and Hell upon the family. As a result, they had to close their business and move it into their private home.

In April, Alan McCullough, an administrative judge with the bureau, recommended a payment of $135,000, with one of the women receiving $75,000 and the other $60,000. Prosecutors had sought damages of $75,000 each.

In June, BOLI officially accepted McCollough’s recommendation and ordered the Kleins to pay the women $135,000 in light of the damages Cryer and Bowman listed.

The Kleins then asked for a stay of the order, but were denied. As the couple initially refused to pay the damages, officials moved to docket the judgment and seek permission to place a property lien against the Kleins or collect the money in other ways.

But according to reports, the damages were paid on Monday, as the couple dropped off a check for $136,927.07, which includes interest. Neither the Kleins or their attorneys released a statement about the matter as of press time.

As previously reported, some outlets had claimed this past summer that the Kleins were not ordered to pay damages for refusing to bake a cake for a lesbian’s same-sex ceremony, but were rather punished for inadvertently “publishing” the women’s addresses on Facebook by uploading the filed consumer complaint—a public document that had not been redacted by the government—on their new personal page that only had 17 friends at the time. The Kleins deleted the status after being informed that the document was not redacted.

“I was just notified that the [complainants’] info was on the document I posted. Totally didn’t think about that, was a mistake and I apologize. I hope nobody used it for anything bad,” Aaron Klein posted.

The order from BOLI outlines that the complaint form that one of the women completed included a disclaimer noting that once submitted, their information would now become “subject to Oregon’s public records law.” This means that the personal address and phone number that was supplied might be able to be seen by the public and Aaron and Melissa Klein of Sweet Cakes by Melissa.

However, the woman said that because she submitted the form via her Smartphone, the disclaimer “was not visible.”

While BOLI concluded that the Kleins were “guilty” of discrimination for declining to supply the cake for the lesbian’s same-sex event, and were willing to award the women $135,000 in damages for emotional distress for the denial, it ultimately refused the women any additional damages for the Facebook incident nor surrounding the matter having been in the media.

As assertions in the media about the reason the Kleins were fined were inaccurate since the couple was solely ordered to pay damages surrounding the denial of the cake, several outlets retracted their claims and apologized for disseminating the information.

6 Responses to “Christian bakers pay over $135,000 to Lesbians”

  • smdh (30/12/2015, 14:45) Like (18) Dislike (2) Reply
    Serious times we living in now where the gays bloody well have more rights than the rest of us who won't condone nor accept their lifestyles. How is it that gays can talk down to anyone who don't share their way of life, get upset that we don't & won't, look at us like something's wrong yet we must accept and swallow their behavior. They can't respect us for our views but we must of theirs. The world gone completely mad.
    • TRUE TRUE (31/12/2015, 13:21) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
      Completely mad is correct, and it will get worst just wait and see.
    • real issue (31/12/2015, 21:12) Like (3) Dislike (12) Reply
      The real issue is you christian bigots! I am neither lesbian or gay but how dare you tell people what they should do in the privacy of their homes. If you want to believe in the nonsense in the bible thats up to you, but we dont all follow your ancient way of thinking yet in many cases are governed by obscure laws to fall in with your archaic way of thinking
      • Real Issue, Real Deal (02/01/2016, 14:36) Like (3) Dislike (2) Reply
        Please reflect and seek a spiritual healing from God. He will do wonders for your soul. It is obvious that you fear him which in itself speaks to your inability to deal with HIS existence. But the more you wiggle the deeper you will fall into his graces and there is not a thing you will be able to do then, but accept GOD for who he is...GOD of the Universe!!! Let the Church say AMEN!!!
  • nonsense (02/01/2016, 15:43) Like (1) Dislike (2) Reply
    Hey real issue. The real problem is you and your likes. You don't believe in decency. You don't believe in life with dignity. You don't want a family based society. You just want to be allowed to do whatever you want. Of course it wont happen in BVI. America is already facing the consequence of a lewd, fractured and Godless society. Life no longer has meaning in America. Dogs and cats have more value than men. The young black men are being hoarded into prisons and less men are being responsible. The women are now leading both in civil service ad private sector. If the trend is not checked, the black will have a society where the men will become women and they would start taking drugs to change their hormones. Men will apply to get married to hybrid animals. Animals will move to the cities and men will move to the wild. Congratulations for your kind of wisdom
  • straight and fair (02/01/2016, 20:13) Like (0) Dislike (1) Reply
    I am straight and don't care what others are sexually, that is their business. But in the USA, have had the most
    discrimination and destructive behavior directed at me by these lesbians who are utterly unable to accept other
    people as being different than themselves. The hate and "we want it all" attitudes are from them, for all their
    complaining to the US and states governments that they are discriminated against. FYI the US Northwestern states
    are the worst. Lesbians somehow control the private and public lawyers in Oregon, Washington and Alaska. They
    don't want a 'live and let live' lifestyle. They want everything their way. They are the abusers who just want everyone
    not like them to be eradicated. They can't get along with others because it is they who are defective and evil.


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