Free Republic

A record $31 million award to a mom and pop bakery that accused a liberal Ohio college of ruining its business with false accusations of racism has been upheld by a state appeals court. Gibson's Bakery, a 135-year-old family business near the campus of Oberlin College, was initially awarded more than $40 million in punitive and compensatory damages in the aftermath of a 2016 incident in which the owner's son confronted three black Oberlin students who were stealing wine from the store. Although the suspects were arrested and later admitted they were shoplifting, the episode touched off school-sanctioned protests and...

Kyle Rittenhouse supporters were not allowed to fundraise on the website. Defending oneself against attacks by the Left’s pet protesters, it turns out, is not allowed. When Rittenhouse jumped to GiveSendGo, Discover credit card cut off the ability to give money to that fundraiser. You might want to make a note of that. A “Save America” rally fundraiser by a conservative couple to oppose COVID-19 mandates was cut off. Matt Walsh of The Daily Wire set up a fundraiser for Congresswoman Alexandria Cortez’s grandmother to buy a new ceiling. But it was cut off when “someone” informed the fundraising platform...

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Court of Appeals for a second time has upheld a ruling by the state civil rights division that found that an Oregon bakery illegally discriminated against a same-sex couple by refusing to sell them a wedding cake in 2013. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports, however, the court on Wednesday also found the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries did not exhibit religious neutrality in issuing an $135,000 fine to Sweet Cakes by Melissa for illegal discrimination and returned the case to the civil rights division to reassess its fine. The case began nine years ago, when...

Confections in Lufkin, Texas announced on Thursday that it would be selling rainbow cookies for Pride Month. The bakery, located in East Texas, soon faced backlash for its decision. "Today has been hard. Really hard," a Facebook post from June 3 read. "We lost a significant amount of followers because of a rainbow heart cookie we posted."

In Scardina v. Masterpiece Cakeshop, Inc.,(CO Dist. Ct., March 4, 2021), a Colorado state trial court dismissed Colorado Consumer Protection Act claims against a bakery that has been the subject of extensive litigation over its refusal to design wedding cakes for same-sex weddings. In the current case, plaintiffs claimed that the bakery engaged in misleading advertising indicating that they would sell birthday cakes to LGBT individuals. The court dismissed the claim because "the most salient materials Plaintiff allegedly relied on are not advertisements," but were news articles and op-eds. However the court refused to dismiss plaintiff's Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act claim...

It’s the gift that keeps on giving. . . Bernie Sanders’ famous photo from Inauguration Day. Social media sure had its fun with the photo being shared in memes across the country. Now, we have Bernie cookies thanks to The BonBonerie. Each “Bernie Box” comes with a Sanders themed cookie and his glorious mittens. The BonBonerie is selling each box for $12, but they say there is a limited amount available. So be sure to get yours while they last by calling 513-321-3399.

For bread-lovers, there's very little that compares to the aroma of a freshly baked loaf. With Tiong Bahru Bakery's new handwash (yes, you read that right), you'll be able to enjoy the buttery scent of baked goods without even leaving your house. The bakery is pretty much a household name thanks to its French pastries and artisanal bread, but it's expanding its offerings with Brioche N°5, a brioche-inspired handwash that will be going on sale on Friday (Jan 29). With a cruelty-free formula and a custom scent created by local fragrance house Oo La Lab, the handwash is "a treat...

A 'cookie poll' that has accurately predicted the outcome of the last three elections has named its winner. A Pennsylvania bakery has said that it's Trump-themed cookies are 'vastly' outselling the Biden-themed alternative by a margin of almost 6 to 1. Owner Kathleen Lochel has told Fox News that some customers have even been driving from out to state to pick up the treats.

OAKMONT, Pa. — President Donald Trump’s son Eric made a surprise visit to one of Allegheny County’s most popular spots Thursday morning: Oakmont Bakery. But it’s the nature of the visit that has sparked controversy. Trump wore a mask into the building but removed it when interacting with supporters. Channel 11 News' exchange partners at TribLIVE were there as Trump spoke to supporters at the popular bakery. He handed out cookies that featured images of his father, which is part of the bakery’s traditional cookie poll leading up to an election. Trump is in the lead, with 13,656 cookies sold,...

A family-owned bakery in the town of Hatboro claims that its election-themed cookies — which are currently flying off the rack — have accurately predicted the outcome of the past three presidential elections. So far, they say sales indicate a clear leader for the 2020 race, too. Lochel’s Bakery, located in Montgomery County just north of Philadelphia, had launched its most recent “cookie poll” about six weeks back, offering both “Trump 2020” cookies and “Biden 2020” cookies in red and blue, respectively. This year’s sales, however, are unlike anything the bakery has seen during the last four election cycles. Bakery...

No thanks to Kamala Harris. Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical Left and Islamic terrorism. Most bakeries kill people with fattening sugary sweets. Your Black Muslim Bakery was a health food bakery with no sugar, fats or food coloring according to the guidance of the Koran. It had other ways of killing people. Since Your Black Muslim Bakery opened in the sixties it has not only racked up a bigger body count than most bakeries, but could give a decent Mexican cartel a run for its...

Oberlin College Seeks New Trial in Gibson’s Bakery Case Comments Permalink Posted by William A. Jacobson Thursday, August 22, 2019 at 9:30pm “A new trial is warranted here to address a litany of errors” Everyone is waiting for the appeal in the Gibson’s Bakery v. Oberlin College case that has captured the attention of the nation. The judgment is for almost $32 million in damages and defendants were required to post a $36 million bond to secure the judgment pending appeal. The appeal phase, as I’ve previously indicated, is the most perilous for the Gibsons. Their case was so strong...

The Supreme Court is throwing out an Oregon court ruling against bakers who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. The justices' action Monday keeps the high-profile case off the court's election-year calendar and orders state judges to take a new look at the dispute between the lesbian couple and the owners of a now-closed bakery in the Portland area. The case involves bakers Melissa and Aaron Klein, who paid a $135,000 judgment to the couple for declining to create a cake for them in 2013. The justices already have agreed to decide whether federal civil rights...

The Supreme Court has said not yet to a second helping of cake. Justices announced today that they won’t hear a new case on the religious freedom and free speech rights of bakers who refuse to sell custom wedding cakes to same-sex couples for religious reasons. But they did send it back to the lower courts for reconsideration. That means questions left unanswered in last year’s ruling in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission will remain unanswered for now. The new case, which originated in Oregon, features a family-owned bakery, Sweetcakes by Melissa, and a lesbian couple. It...

The jury just rendered its verdict on punitive damages in the Gibson’s Bakery v. Oberlin College case. Daniel McGraw, our reporter in the courtroom, reports that in addition to the $11.2 million compensatory damages awarded last Friday, the jury awarded a total of $33 million in punitive damages, which will probably be reduced by the court to $22 million because of the state law cap at twice compensatory (it’s not an absolute cap, but probably will apply here). That brings the total damages to $33 million. We will have the breakdown soon. The jury also awarded attorney’s fees, to be...

If you want to follow a legal battle by someone who knows what he’s talking about, you could not do better than reading Legal Insurrection, William Jacobson’s website. For some time now he’s been documenting the lawsuit filed by Gibson’s Bakery, a five-generation family bakery near Oberlin College that was boycotted based on false claims of racism after they had several students arrested for shoplifting, a crime to which the students pled guilty. …a black male Oberlin College student was stopped for shoplifting wine at Gibson’s Bakery and Market in downtown Oberlin, OH. Gibson’s had been in existence since 1885,...

Full title of article: "Oh-oh! Oberlin College’s insurance company says their policy doesn’t cover the huge verdict against it" Excerpt: The insurer that covers Oberlin College for liability, Lexington Insurance Company, filed documents with court last month indicating that its umbrella liability policy would not cover costs of any judgment for the plaintiffs. That means that if, after the appeals process has run its course, the plaintiffs move to collect the $11 million a jury just awarded them (plus whatever punitive damages – up to $22 more – are awarded next week), Lexington likely won’t pay and Oberlin would have...

This Jury Just Awarded The Bakery $11 Million A family that has owned and operated an Ohio bakery near Oberlin College since 1885 suffered accusations of racism and protests after stopping a black Oberlin College student from shoplifting. . . A witness for the plaintiffs, accountant Frank Monaco, had testified that the Gibsons were set to lose about $5.8 million over the next 30 years because of the accusations of racism. He noted that the business had been in operation for over 130 years, adding, “When you have people thinking you’re racist, and you live in a small town, the...

Anti-homosexual bakery now open in Kemerovo, Russia. Only people supporting traditional marriage are allowed in the store.An anti-homosexual bakery has been opened in Kemerovo, Russia. Same-sex couples are not allowed to be customers there. The owners call the business,“Bread from a Russian Oven, by the Ipatov Brothers”. One of the owners of the bakery, Anton Ipatov, says that so far he has heard only praise about his business. "If there is a fire on the ship, and everyone else is just going to bars and getting drunk, quietly minding their own business, then everyone will burn on that ship", explains...

(RNS) — Last week, to little notice, the Masterpiece Cakeshop case ended with a whimper. Nine months after the Supreme Court found that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission had acted prejudicially in upholding the complaint of a gay couple who were refused a wedding cake by baker Jack Phillips, the two sides agreed to stop fighting. Specifically, the commission withdrew its proceedings against Phillips for discrimination and Phillips withdrew his case against the commission for harassment. Which is to say that Phillips can keep refusing to customize cakes that, as he put it, “celebrate events or express messages that conflict...