The Oregon bakery owners who came to public attention after denying service to a same-sex couple have now paid $135,000 in state-ordered damages, according to Reuters. Melissa and Aaron Klein, who own the Sweet Cakes by Melissa bakery in Portland, were ordered to pay the money in July as a result of their refusal to bake a wedding cake for lesbian couple Laurel and Rachel Bowman-Cryer in 2013, according to The Associated Press.
Laurel Bowman-Cryer had visited the bakery with her mother for a cake-tasting appointment but was told that their cake could not be made for religious reasons, according to the NY Daily News.
The bakery owners denied service to the couple because of their religious beliefs pertaining to same-sex marriage, but were consequently found to have violated anti-discrimination laws because they are not a registered religious institution, according to the AP.
The Kleins initially cited financial hardship and refused to pay the damages despite a number of online fundraising and crowdfunding campaigns that had brought them at least half a million dollars as of September, according to The Oregonian.
While the check for the damages including interest was dropped off on Jan. 4, the Kleins' attorney, Tyler Smith, maintained that they had not given up on appealing the decision but had paid in order to prevent further interest piling up, according to The Oregonian.
"The prudent thing to do, given the generosity of people who have contributed funds, was to take care of it and continue the fight," Smith said, according to Reuters, adding that his clients are "devoted to honoring God in every aspect of their lives, including how they conduct themselves in this litigation."
Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries spokesman Charlie Burr said that the state will hold the damages until all appeals are settled.
