March 7, 2017
Judge: Clerk Kim Davis Doesn't Have to Pay Legal Fees for Gay Couples
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A federal judge has ruled that a county clerk in Kentucky who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2015 doesn't have to pay legal fees for the couples who sued her.
Attorneys for the couples who sued Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis asked the court to award them about $233,000 in legal fees and costs. Davis' lawyers asked that the request be denied.
Kentucky lawmakers later addressed the same-sex marriage issue. In April 2016, Gov. Matt Bevin signed into law a bill that removed county clerks' names and authorizations from state marriage licenses.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward B. Atkins signed an order Monday that says because the issue was resolved in the legislature the plaintiffs weren't prevailing parties and therefore are not entitled to legal fees.
