Oregon bakers might have to pay $150,000 to same-sex couple
The owners of an Oregon bakery may have to fork out $150,000 to a lesbian couple simply for refusing to bake them a custom wedding cake. Last Thursday, an administrative law judge ruled the bakery owners, Aaron and Melissa Klein, had violated an Oregon statute prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Administrative Judge Alan McCullough claimed the anti-discrimination statute did not infringe on the Kleins’ rights of free speech or free exercise of religion. A hearing set for March 10 will determine whether the state will force the Kleins to pay up to $150,000 to the lesbian couple for “emotional, mental, and physical suffering.”...