Christian baker says he’s being targeted for his faith in trans cake lawsuit
Birthday cake. (Pexels)
A US court has been asked to drop the case of the Christian baker who refused to make a transgender woman a gender-reveal cake, on the grounds that the baker “has suffered enough.”
Autumn Scardini, a Denver-based lawyer, asked Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips to bake her a cake in July 2017.
Scardini alleges that Philipps’ refused because she is trans. In 2018, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission filed a case against Phillips for refusing to make the cake.
At the same time, Phillips sued the state of Colorado, saying that he was being persecuted for his religious beliefs.
In March 2019, Phillips and the state of Colorado agreed to drop their cases against each other.
Three months later, in June, Scardini filed her own lawsuit against Philipps, claiming his bakery falsely advertised that it would “be happy to provide a variety of baked goods, including birthday cakes, to all members of the public, including LGBT individuals.”
Christian law firm ADF representing the baker
Conservative Christian anti-abortion law firm Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) said that the lawsuit was a “crusade” against Phillips’ Christian faith and demanded the court drop it.
“The state’s past prosecutions generated death threats and vandalism and cost Phillips seven years of his life, 40% of his family income, and most of his employees — harms that endure even though he eventually won his legal fights,” said the motion filed by attorneys with ADF.
This time, however, the “potential toll is greater,” ADF said.
“Unlike past prosecutions, more money is on the line: Scardina seeks more than $100,000, plus attorney fees,” said the ADF filing. “This crusade against Phillips and his faith should stop once and for all.”
“We simply want the law to be enforced,” said Paula Greisen, a lawyer representing Scardina. “Because if not, you allow a business to send a message: go ahead, refuse service to these people, it’s OK, when the citizens of Colorado have said it’s not.”
