State officials paid $1.5 million in compensation for legal fees and costs incurred by plaintiffs in the Whitewood case, it was disclosed this week.
ACLU of Pennsylvania legal director Witold Walczak said state officials made the payment, drawn from taxpayer dollars, in December. The Whitewood case established marriage equality in the state in May.
According to federal law, the prevailing party in a civil-rights lawsuit is entitled to compensation for its reasonable legal fees and costs.
As the prevailing party, Whitewood plaintiffs initially requested about $2.2 million for their legal fees and costs, which state officials called “exorbitant.”
This week, U.S. District Judge John E. Jones 3d formally closed the Whitewood case, noting that the fee-compensation dispute has been resolved.
A breakdown of the specific amounts paid to each attorney wasn’t available.
“There is no document publicly available that provided a breakdown [of the legal fees],” Walczak said. “That is an internal matter.”
Jeff Sheridan, a spokesperson for Gov. Tom Wolf, issued this statement: “Gov. Wolf is pleased that this is now resolved and that the Commonwealth has reached a fair agreement with the plaintiffs. Gov. Wolf commends the plaintiffs for their bravery in pursuing this landmark case.”