Joe.My.God. LGBT News
From the Knoxville News Sentinel:
The state must pay more than $2 million in legal fees to three couples who successfully challenged Tennessee’s same-sex marriage ban, a federal judge in Nashville ruled Friday.
Judge Aleta Trauger awarded $1.98 million in attorneys’ fees and $59,916 in expenses to the plaintiffs, which include Knoxville veterinarians Valeria Tanco and Sophy Jesty. The award, allowed under federal law, is 15 percent less than the $2.33 million the plaintiffs sought.
“The results obtained in this case were superb and far-reaching,” Trauger wrote in her memo. “As the prevailing party, the plaintiffs will, therefore, be rewarded a significant portion of their requested reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses under Section 1988.”
A spokesman for Tennessee Attorney General Hebert H. Slatery’s office said his office was still reviewing the order Monday afternoon and did not have a comment. In court documents filed in January and unsealed on March 7, Slatery’s office argued the plaintiffs’ attorneys were overcharging for their services, and insisted they should be paid $1.1 million instead.
According to JMG reader Dale, so far same-sex marriage plaintiffs nationwide have been awarded a total of $17,090,388.61 in legal fees and court costs.