Oregon Officials Will Begin Collection Process for Christian Bakery Couple's $135K Discrimination Fine

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries confirmed recently that it will begin pursuing the collection process for the $135,000 fine owed by two Christian bakers who refused to create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.

Charlie Burr, communications director of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, said in a recent statement that the $135,000 fine will be seized from Aaron and Melissa Klein, who were sued after refusing to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple in 2013.

The couple has reportedly refused to pay their fine, citing financial hardship.

"Our agency has docketed the judgment and is exploring collection options," Burr said in a statement to the Daily Signal.

"They are entitled to a full and fair review of the case, but do not have the right to disregard a legally binding order."

Burr added in a statement to The Oregonian that the state will be seeking to collect the fine, arguing that it is difficult to understand the couple's financial hardship claim after they successfully raised $500,000 on crowdfunding websites since the discrimination lawsuit.

"It's difficult to understand the Kleins' unwillingness to pay the debt when they have, very publicly, raised nearly a half million dollars," Burr said.

As The Christian Post reports, the Kleins have previously said that they will refuse to pay the fine, citing "legal reasons and personal reasons."

"There's legal reasons and there's also kind of personal reasons," Aaron Klein said. "If a civil court or a circuit court judge had made this order, I would consider it legally binding. But when a bureaucracy does it and I didn't get due process, I don't call it legally binding."