If you thought the Supreme Court was done hearing cases about desserts, they might not be. Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of “Sweet Cakes by Melissa,” asked the Supreme Court Monday to reverse the state of Oregon’s decision that fined them more than $135,000, and drove them out of business, for refusing to create a government-approved message celebrating same-sex marriage.
In 2013, a same-sex couple requested a cake from the Kleins for their marriage celebration. When the Kleins refused citing their religious beliefs, the couple sued a year later. In 2015, the Kleins were fined. The state of Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries found that Aaron and Melissa violated Oregon’s public accommodations statute. In addition to the $135,000 penalty for “emotional damages,” BOLI issued a gag order, preventing them from even talking about their actual beliefs. Eventually, the Kleins were forced to shut down their bakery. Aaron and Melissa appealed the BOLI ruling to the Oregon Court of Appeals in April 2016. The Oregon Court of Appeals reversed the gag order but otherwise upheld the decision of BOLI.
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