Posted on 07/14/2015 10:46:31 AM PDT by jazusamo
A crowdfunding campaign for the Oregon bakery Sweet Cakes by Melissa has set a site record by raising $352,500 in about two months after being kicked off the GoFundMe website, far exceeding the initial goal of $150,000.
Jesse Wellhoefer, founder of Continue to Give, said the Sweet Cakes effort has raised more than any previous campaign on behalf of individuals in the three-year-old crowdfunding website’s history.
Continue to Give also handles ongoing fundraising for nonprofit organizations as well as mobile and kiosk tithing for churches.
GoFundMe, the nation’s largest crowdfunder, removed a campaign for Sweet Cakes by Melissa in April after receiving complaints from gay-marriage supporters. The bakery’s owners, Aaron and Melissa Klein, are locked in a legal battle with the state for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex ceremony, citing their religious beliefs.
Mr. Wellhoefer said his company had received “lots and lots” of complaints about the Sweet Cakes crowdfunding campaign, but that he has refused to remove it.
“Lots of people have been asking us to take it off,” Mr. Wellhoefer said. “Our response has been, ‘Thank you for your concern, have a great day and God bless you.’”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Declaring bankruptcy and liquidating the fine altogether appers to be off the table now.
In Oregon, punitive awards aren’t paid to plaintiffs, they go directly to the state. Only actual damages can be paid to plaintiffs and these women have $zero.
Yes, I just hope they win their appeal to liquidate the fine. :)
Contributors are just a bunch of haters. /sarc
Love it!
I believe these two awards were for damages. I read a list of the phony claims by these two lesbians some time back, one was for loss of sleep. Sheesh.
I thought the ruling specifically stated the lesbians were due that money for all of the pain and suffering they had endured.
Have they appealed yet?
It doesn’t sound like they have as yet, from this article:
“The Kleins are expected to appeal the labor commissioner’s July 2 decision to the Oregon Court of Appeals.”
I can see it coming:
Did we say the fine was $135,000?? Our bad, that was a typo we meant: $351,000
Just curious about one thing..do the people who receive these funds from places like KickStarter or GoFundMe have to report them as income ( and pay taxes)? Will Melissa get an IRS audit next year?
Too bad they’re going to have to pass a law to do that. There’s this little prohibition on “Ex Post Facto” laws. . .
“Mr. Wellhoefer said his company had received “lots and lots” of complaints about the Sweet Cakes crowdfunding campaign, but that he has refused to remove it.”
I salute you, Mr. Wellhoefer. It’s bad enough the Kleins’ business was being destroyed by the Oregon government (8th Amendment and excessive fines, anyone?), but a rival baker (Lisa Watson of Cupcake Jones) got their GoFundMe campaign taken down, leaving these two with no means of avoiding financial ruin.
Yeah, fight it.
Please don’t pay it.
I know enough about tax law to do my own (which are pretty simple) and to otherwise be dangerous :-). So this is what I think happens and should not be taken as definitive or as advice. FWIW.
However I think these donations are counted as individual gifts. Which means gift tax rules apply and so long as there isn’t an individual donation above $10k all the money transfers to them tax free. And the taxes only kick in for individual donations above $10k.
But someone with more knowlege of tax law should definitely feel free to correct me.
I will add that with a take above $500k (which is what this should end up being from the looks of it) they should be able to hire a tax attorney with the money to figure it out and do the paperwork, pay any applicable taxes and still comfortably pay off the fine.
I have read that they have asked for a stay on the order...?
Of course that fascist Avakian will ignore...
It reads like a very bad episode of Jerry Springer
Quite the read...
http://www.oregon.gov/boli/SiteAssets/pages/press/Sweet%20Cakes%20FO.pdf
I am not an attorney, but my sister works in the legal system in Oregon. If the state is issuing a fine, then it would not go to this couple, it would go to the state. The only monetary damages that a plaintiff can collect would have to be proven in court as some sort of tangible financial loss. They can be compensated to for this if they can prove it. Things like losing sleep and crying in one’s Cheerios would be considered punitive and the state keeps that money for itself.
I would like to find out for certain if this is a judgment or a fine because there is a big difference between the two things.
Did any talk radio wonks ever give them a minute of advertising time?
I hope they do not pay this “fine” as it would be tantamount to paying a terrorist for ransom.
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