County Settles Same-Sex Marriage License Lawsuit
Hood County paid nearly $43,900 in attorney fees—half covered by insurance—to settle a lawsuit by a gay couple that sued County Clerk Katie Lang for repeatedly refusing to issue them a marriage license.
August 18, 2015 at 11:15 AM
5 minute read
Hood County paid nearly $43,900 in attorney fees—half covered by insurance—to settle a lawsuit by a gay couple who sued county clerk Katie Lang for repeatedly refusing to issue them a marriage license in the week after a U.S. Supreme Court opinion legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
Lang finally issued the license on July 6, just five hours after Granbury residents James Cato and Jody Stapleton sued her, alleging that she violated their civil rights and the U.S. Constitution. On Aug. 17, the couple, who have been together 27 years, announced their settlement and plans to dismiss their lawsuit.
“The Supreme Court really is binding on everyone, and nobody is above the law,” said Jan Soifer, one of the plaintiffs' lawyers. “We thought it was really important to put a stop to her disrespectful behavior and delaying tactics and make it clear once and for all that marriage equality is the law in Texas and everywhere else—even in Hood County.”
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