Former Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue gay marriage licenses ordered to pay $260,000 to couple’s attorneys
Eight years after a former county clerk in Kentucky made national headlines by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Kentucky, she has been ordered to pay $260,000 in fees and expenses to the attorneys who represented one of the couples.
The ruling comes after a jury previously decided that Kim Davis, the former Rowan County clerk, must pay $100,000 in damages to the couple, David Ermold and David Moore. The judge’s decision was circulated in the court system on Tuesday and represents the latest outcome in litigation that began in 2015 following the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couples have the same right to wed as heterosexual couples.
Davis first made headlines after she refused to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision and was ultimately jailed for five days in September 2015. She became a polarizing figure, hailed as a hero by some and criticized by others.
The judge’s ruling this week is a victory for the couple who sought to vindicate their fundamental right to marry and obtain marriage licenses. While the decision is a win for the plaintiffs, one of the attorneys representing the couple noted that the lengthy and emotionally taxing legal battle had taken a toll on his clients.
Liberty Counsel, a religious freedom organization that has represented Davis throughout the litigation, said it would appeal the case, underscoring that the conflict is far from over.
The controversial case of Kim Davis has thrust the former county clerk into the national spotlight, and the legal battle has reignited discussions about the intersection of religious freedom and LGBTQ+ rights across the country.