7 Years Later, Christian Bakers Still Fighting to Reverse $135K Fine Over Same-Sex Wedding Cake

[PeteS in CA]

https://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/7-years-later-christian-bakers-still-fighting-to-reverse-135k-fine-over-same-sex-wedding-cake/

7 Years Later, Christian Bakers Still Fighting to Reverse $135K Fine Over Same-Sex Wedding Cake

Seven years after Christian bakers refused to craft a cake to celebrate a same-sex wedding, the bakers are again in court, fighting to reverse a judgment that wiped out their life savings and drove them out of business. The U.S. Supreme Court sent their case back to the Oregon Court of Appeals (OCA) last year.

In January 2013, Christian bakers Aaron and Melissa Klein refused to bake a custom wedding cake to celebrate a lesbian ceremony. Two years later, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) slapped a $135,000 fine on the Kleins, citing one of the women who requested the cake saying she had felt "mentally raped" by the refusal. The fine wiped out the Kleins' life savings and forced their bakery, Sweet Cakes by Melissa, out of business. They appealed, but the OCA ruled against them in 2017. The Oregon Supreme Court refused to hear the case, but the U.S. Supreme Court reopened it last year.
...
The Court also sent the Kleins' case back to the lower court for another decision.

"The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) ordered the Kleins to pay $135,000. The Court of Appeals is now considering whether or not to uphold BOLI's order. If the court concludes that BOLI acted in a non-neutral way or acted with hostility toward religion, then the court could reverse BOLI's order," Stephanie Taub, First Liberty Institute's lead attorney for the Kleins case, told PJ Media on Monday. "A decision can be released at any time, likely within the next few months."

The BOLI ruling against the Kleins was remarkable for many reasons. It not only took the lesbian couple's claims of emotional damages at face value, but also assessed the fine against Aaron and Melissa Klein's personal property, rather than against the business.

Like Phillips, the Kleins gladly served LGBT people at their shop, selling them any sort of baked goods they might desire. However, both Phillips and the Kleins would not lend their artistic talents to celebrate a ceremony that conflicted with their religious beliefs about marriage.

These threads are the context of this story:

http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,307730.0.html
http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,365840.0.html

My emphasis. The BOLI's unusual action in assessing against the Klein's personal property is, IMO, prima facie evidence that "BOLI acted in a non-neutral way or acted with hostility toward (the Klein's) religion". This case has been going on for 7 years, and regardless of the Oregon court's ruling, it will likely come before the USSC again. Either the Kleins will have to go there again in hope of, FINALLY, getting justice, or the anti-Christian activists and their pet bureaucrats will seek to have their bigotry reimposed. Win or lose, I hope the Kleins are able to move out of Oregon. Because the activists and bureaucrats will still be out to destroy them.

[Fishrrman]

PeteS wrote:
"Win or lose, I hope the Kleins are able to move out of Oregon. Because the activists and bureaucrats will still be out to destroy them."

This is the only solution, the only way forward.
GET OUT of Oregon, for a more conservative state.

While there still remain "more conservative" states to get to.

I doubt that -- short of an order from the U.S. Supreme Court -- they'll ever get that money back.

Cut the losses and GET OUT of there.