Sweet Cakes by Melissa, the Oregon bakery owned by Aaron and Melissa Klein which made national headlines over their refusal on religious grounds to bake a cake after they found out it was for a lesbian’s wedding, has closed for good.
The bakery left a notice on its Facebook page.
The Kleins were fined $135,000 by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) and paid it last year after some protest.
The Kleins had refused to pay the damages for nearly six months and the Klein’s attorney had requested a stay with the Oregon Court of Appeals, arguing the fine would ruin the couple’s business, despite the fact that supporters of the bakery had donated nearly $500,000 to the couple.
BOLI Comissioner Brad Avakia denied the Klein’s attorney’s request and noted that the couple’s massive donations are currently held in escrow.
The Kleins were granted all-star status alongside fellow anti-gay martyr Kim Davis at the Values Voters Summit in Washington, D.C. in 2015. They were present when Kim Davis received Family Research Council’s Cost of Discipleship Award from FRC Action President Tony Perkins.
