Despite Raising Nearly $500K, Anti-Gay Bakers Won't Pay Damages

Oregon bakers Aaron and Melissa Klein have raised nearly $500,000 through online donations from the religious right to help them pay the $135,000 in damages owed to a lesbian couple they denied service to. And they want to keep every penny of it.

The couple was the darling of the persecuted Christian set until they were knocked out of the headlines by defiant Rowan County clerk Kim Davis. In July, they were ordered by the Oregon Business of Labor and Industries (BOLI) to pay $135,000 to lesbian couple Rachel and Lauren Bowman-Cryer for endangering them by posting their home address online after they reported the bakers for denying them service.

A GoFundMe fund raiser was initially set up to help pay the ordered damages, but was yanked by the crowdfunding giant because of the discriminatory nature of the campaign. The Kleins then turned to "Christian-based" online crowdfunding site Continue to Give where they raised nearly $500,000, or 271 percent of the campaign's initial $150,000 goal.

Williamette Week has recently uncovered emails between the Kleins' attorneys and the Business of Labor and Industries where they make it clear that they have no intention of paying the damages.

"Our clients do not have a bond or irrevocable letter of credit in place and have no further plans to obtain one," wrote Herbert Grey, attorney for the Kleins on September 8.

"Please inform the agency of when your clients will tender payment," Jenn Gaddis, the chief prosecutor in BOLI's administrative prosecution unit wrote on Sept. 16. "Otherwise we have no other option but to docket the judgement against them. It is unfortunate that they will not seek the bond or irrevocable letter of credit, that you had initially stated they were interested in seeking, when they have clearly raised close to $500,000 with which to pay the damage award."

The Kleins have become a staple as speakers at numerous rightwing events and most recently appeared last weekend at the anti-gay hate group sponsored Value Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. last weekend where Kim Davis presented an award for denying legal marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

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