A US baker who won a Supreme Court victory over his refusal to make a wedding cake for a gay couple is suing after another case was brought against him for declining to create a cake for a transgender woman.
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Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado, accuses the state's Civil Rights Commission of violating his constitutional rights to free speech, freedom of religion, equal protection and due process, according to the lawsuit.
"This lawsuit is necessary to stop Colorado's continuing persecution of Phillips," the written complaint alleges.
Phillips seeks permanent injunctions against the state from taking any enforcement action, saying Phillips was "vindicated" by the Supreme Court ruling.
In June, the Supreme Court ruled that the Colorado's civil rights commission was hostile toward Phillips' Christian beliefs when it cited him for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple in 2012.
The latest lawsuit stems from a complaint filed by Denver lawyer Autumn Scardina, in which she claims that Phillips last year refused to bake a cake that "celebrates my transition from male to female."
The director of the state's Civil Rights Division, Aubrey Elenis, ruled in June that Phillips discriminated against Scardina.
"The evidence thus demonstrates that the refusal to provide service to (Scardina) was based on (her) transgender status," Elenis wrote in a probable cause determination.
The finding by Elenis requires both sides to resolve the issue through "compulsory mediation," the document said.
Phillips is also seeking $100,000 in punitive damages against Elenis "for her unconstitutional actions," according to the lawsuit.
Australian Associated Press