Politics & Government
Gresham Bakers Fined Over Lesbian Wedding Cake Refusal In Appeals Court
Aaron and Melissa Klein were at the state court of appeals as their lawyers sought to overturn a judgement against them.
The lawyer for a pair of Gresham bakers who were fined for refusing to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple argued that the state violated the law by fining them. The case of Aaron and Melissa Klein was before the Oregon Court of Appeals.
The couple owned Sweet Cakes by Melissa in Gresham, which they have since closed.
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They had been fined by the state's Bureau of Labor Industries and State Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian who ordered them to pay damages to the couple.
Avakian had ruled that the Kleins had violated the state's 2007 Oregon Equality Act and ordered them to ay $135,000 in damages.
Find out what's happening in Greshamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Kleins received more than $500,000 in donations when the case received national attention. They ended up closing their shop in Gresham and, last year, an online store they had been operating.
The lawyer for the Kleins argued the state had violated his clients's First Amendment rights; that their cakes were "art" and that there is a difference between sexual orientation and race.
The state argument came down to the simple fact that Oregon law says that you cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation and that is exactly what happened.
The judges did not issue a timetable on when they will make a ruling in the case.
Photo via ShutterStock
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