Oregon's Bureau of Labor Orders Christian Bakers to Pay $135K for Refusing Same-Sex Wedding Cake

Oregon's Bureau of Labor and Industries determined this week that the Christian bakery owners who refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding will be ordered to pay $135,000 in emotional damages.

Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian determined this week that Melissa and Aaron Klein, owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa Bakery, are ordered to pay $75,000 in emotional damages to Rachel Bowman-Cryer and $60,000 to her partner Laurel Bowman-Cryer.

The Kleins, who are Christian, had previously refused to bake a cake for the same-sex wedding of the Bowman-Cryers in 2013.

"Respondents' claim they are not denying service because of complainants' sexual orientation but rather because they do not wish to participate in their same-sex wedding ceremony. The forum has already found there to be no distinction between the two," Avakian wrote in his order for the Christian couple to pay $135,000. "Further, to allow respondents, a for-profit business, to deny any services to people because of their protected class, would be tantamount to allowing legal separation of people based on their sexual orientation from at least some portion of the public marketplace."

"There is ample evidence in the record of specific, identifiable types of emotional suffering both complainants experienced because of this denial of service," Avakian continued. "The proposal for LBC is less because she was not present at the denial and the ALJ found her testimony about the extent and severity of her emotional suffering to be exaggerated in some respects."

The Kleins have already been forced to close their bakery and work out of their home due to the fees they have been ordered to pay.