Former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, who had refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, was ordered by a federal judge to pay more than $200,000 in fees, according to the Lexington Herald Leader.
U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning ruled Tuesday that Davis will be required to pay a total of $260,104 in fees and attorney expenses to the same-sex couple, David Ermold and David Moore, who sued the former clerk, according to the Lexington Herald Leader.
Attorneys of the former clerk attempted to argue to Bunning that the free request from the couple was excessive, however, the district judge claimed that Davis’ lawyers had exaggerated, noting one had “belies logic,” the outlet reported. (RELATED: A ‘Progressive’ Minority Is Pushing Female Ordination, LGBTQ Issues During Catholic Annual Meeting, Advocates Say)
The couple was represented by DelCotto Law Group attorney Michael Garland, Lexington attorney Joseph Buckles, and the Public Citizens Law Group in Washington D.C., which had helped stop the case from moving forward when Davis appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to the Lexington Herald Leader.
“We got every last penny that we asked for,” Gartland stated, according to the outlet.
In 2015, Davis had refused to issue a marriage license to the gay couple allegedly due to her religious beliefs, following a ruling from the Supreme Court in 2015 that legalized same-sex marriage. Due to her refusal, Davis ended up spending jail time and was quickly sued by a group of both same-sex and straight couples, claiming the former clerk had violated their civil rights
While a federal judge later dismissed the lawsuits due to legislation passed by the Kentucky General Assembly stating that a licensed marriage did not need a county clerk’s signature, Davis was also sued by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kentucky.
Davis eventually lost the lawsuit and was fined by a jury for $100,000 in damages to the gay couple, according to the Associated Press. (RELATED: India’s Top Court Shoots Down Bid To Legalize Gay Marriage)
In the latest ruling, Bunning stated that the former clerk must pay the couple because they had won the former lawsuit, the Lexington Herald Leader reported.
“They sought to vindicate their fundamental right to marry and obtain marriage licenses,” Bunning stated.
Davis is set to pay Gartland $175,408 in fines, Buckles $51,230 in fines, and the D.C. law firm $33,446.40 in fines; with the award for expenses set at $14,058, according to the outlet.
A spokesperson for the former clerk’s attorneys at Liberty Counsel has stated that they will appeal Bunning’s ruling, according to the Lexington Herald Leader.
