U.S. News
Kim Davis slapped with $260K fine for denying marriage licenses to gay couples
By Jake Beardslee · January 4, 2024
In brief…
- Kim Davis, a former Kentucky county clerk, refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2015 based on her religious beliefs.
- She spent 5 days in jail in 2015 for refusing court orders to comply.
- A couple who was denied licenses sued Davis and was awarded $100,000 in damages in 2022.
- A federal judge has now ordered Davis to pay over $260,000 in legal fees related to the lawsuit.
- Davis' attorneys are expected to appeal the ruling on the fees.
Former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis has been ordered to pay over $260,000 in legal fees stemming from her refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2015, according to a federal judge’s ruling, NPR reported.
Davis, who was the clerk of Rowan County at the time, drew national attention when she denied marriage licenses to same-sex couples following the legalization of gay marriage, citing her religious beliefs. She spent five days in jail in 2015 for refusing to comply with court orders to provide the licenses.
Although Kentucky lawmakers later changed state law to remove clerks’ names from marriage licenses, couples who were denied licenses under Davis’ tenure sued her in federal court. One couple, David Ermold and David Moore, was awarded $100,000 in damages by a jury in July 2022 after suing Davis for refusing them a marriage license in multiple instances.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning ordered Davis to pay over $260,000 in fees and costs to the attorneys who represented Ermold and Moore. Bunning wrote that the total was reasonable given the work involved in the case, as well as Davis’ repeated refusal to comply with the law.
Attorneys for Davis are expected to appeal the ruling. She has argued that the fees sought by the opposing attorneys were excessive.
Kentucky lawmakers changed the state’s marriage license forms in 2016 so that they no longer included the names of county clerks. The legislation was passed to protect clerks who had religious objections to issuing licenses to same-sex couples.
Davis, a Republican, lost reelection as Rowan County clerk in 2018. She was defeated by Democrat Elwood Caudill Jr.