Tulsa County to pay legal fees in same-sex marriage case

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – Tulsa County will pay nearly $300,000 in attorney fees that were incurred during its unsuccessful defense of Oklahoma’s ban on same sex-marriage.

The Tulsa World (http://bit.ly/1FR9nrT ) reports a district judge awarded attorneys for a lesbian couple almost $300,000 in fees and costs related to the county’s appeal of a lower court ruling. Three attorneys for the couple had requested almost $400,000 in attorney fees and nearly $2,000 in costs.

Attorneys for Tulsa County argued that a more appropriate amount would be just over $100,000.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in October that Tulsa County would have to pay the legal expenses for the couple. The couple sued County Clerk Sally Howe Smith, who was barred from issuing marriage licenses because of Oklahoma’s ban on same-sex marriage.

The 10th Circuit Court overturned the ban July 18.