The Christian county clerk from Kentucky who made national headlines and sparked a debate across America after refusing to issue marriage licences to homosexuals is now facing a new legal challenge, which can force her to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for standing up to her faith.
According to a report from Christian News, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently filed a formal complaint against Rowan county clerk Kim Davis, asking the Christian woman to pay for the cost of the legal battle between the two camps, which is estimated at around $233,000.
"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," ACLU Kentucky legal director William Sharp told Christian News, explaining why they filed the complaint against Davis before the district court under Judge David Bunning.
The Christian clerk's camp, however, maintained that Davis cannot be forced to cover attorney fees and other legal expenses of the complainants, because she ultimately prevailed in the end in the court battle.
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"The ACLU is not entitled to attorney's fees according to the prevailing standard in the Sixth Circuit," explained Mat Staver, the founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel Christian law firm who helped defend Davis' case. "Kim Davis won the case and the case is closed. County clerks are now able to perform their public service without being forced to compromise their religious liberty," he said.
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It can be recalled that Judge Bunning dismissed all existing complaints against Davis last August, following the state legislature's decision to pass a law that will remove county clerks' names in all marriage licences. Davis' camp considered this move as a victory.
"In light of these proceedings, and in view of the fact that the marriage licences continue to be issued without incident, there no longer remains a case or controversy before the court," Judge Bunning said in his decision.
