KENTUCKY: ACLU Files $233K Demand For Cost Of Suing Kim Davis Over Same-Sex Marriage Licenses

Dominic Holden reports at Buzzfeed:

The legal advocacy group that represented several couples in a lawsuit against Kim Davis — the county clerk in Kentucky who famously refused to issue marriage licenses after the Supreme Court struck down bans on same-sex marriage — is asking a federal court to award it $233,058 to cover legal expenses.

In court documents filed Monday in the US District Court in Eastern Kentucky, the American Civil Liberties Union said its attorneys logged more than 600 hours and billed their time at $250 to $700 an hour.

ACLU of Kentucky legal director William Sharp said in a statement Monday that he wanted the fees to send a message about the high price of violating people’s rights.

“Courts recognize that when successful civil rights plaintiffs obtain a direct benefit from a court-ordered victory, such as in this case, they can be entitled to their legal expenses to deter future civil rights violations by government officials,” he said. “By filing today’s motion, we hope to achieve that very objective — to send a message to government officials that willful violations of individuals’ rights will be costly.”

Hit the link to see the filing.