The state of Colorado has agreed to pay more than $1.5 million in legal fees to a web designer who won a US Supreme Court ruling last year that found the right to free speech allows some businesses to refuse to provide services for same-sex weddings.
Colorado and web designer Lorie Smith’s lawyers at conservative law firm Alliance Defending Freedom disclosed the accord in a court filing last week.
A state board approved the amount, which was less than that nearly $2 million that Smith had originally sought after her free speech win at the high court. The justices in June 2023 ruled 6-3 in favor of Smith, who cited her Christian beliefs in challenging a state anti-discrimination law.
The Colorado attorney general’s office declined to comment on the fee settlement.
Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Bryan Neihart in a statement on Monday said it was common for the prevailing party in a civil rights case to ask for and receive legal fees after winning in court.
“Our clients Lorie Smith and her design studio, 303 Creative, prevailed at the US Supreme Court and achieved a landmark victory — a victory that helps to protect all Americans’ freedom of speech from government censorship and coercion,” Neihart said.
Arizona-based Alliance Defending Freedom is a faith-based legal advocacy organization that pursues lawsuits related to religious freedom. The group was involved in the unsuccessful challenge to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone.
In Smith’s bid for fees, Alliance Defending Freedom said its $2 million request would reimburse them for 2,174.4 hours of work on the litigation. The requested amount was a 36% reduction from the 3,374.9 billed hours they devoted to the case, the group said.
Smith and lawyers for Colorado in a court filing said they planned to file their finalized settlement notice to the court by Oct. 16.
