NEWS

NM loses illegal voting case, must pay ACLU's fees

The Associated Press
Gavel

SANTA FE — New Mexico has lost a long-running lawsuit over legal fees in a public records case.

The New Mexican reports that state taxpayers will now be responsible for $90,000 in legal fees for the American Civil Liberties Union.

The state Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld a 2014 decision that the ACLU is entitled to more than $87,000 in legal fees from the Secretary of State's Office, a number that doesn't include the fees incurred by the appeals process.

The appeals stem from a case the ACLU filed against former Secretary of State Dianna Duran in 2011 regarding her since-discredited claims 37 foreign nationals had cast ballots in a New Mexico election.

Attorney Scott Fuqua defended Duran and said Wednesday that it's possible he will appeal the case.