The motion came four days after Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker granted a permanent injunction against part of the law that sought to restrict business from addressing race-related issues in workplace training.
The permanent injunction came after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this year upheld a preliminary injunction that Walker issued in 2022. Walker and the appeals court said the restrictions violated First Amendment rights.
Tuesday’s motion for attorney fees described the plaintiffs’ success in the case as “resounding.”
The motion seeks to recover fees for district-court and appeals-court proceedings. “Plaintiffs did not just achieve some benefit but rather achieved the key benefit they sought in bringing this suit: enjoining enforcement of the unconstitutional Stop WOKE Act,” the motion said.
The law was challenged by Primo Tampa, LLC, a Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream franchisee; Honeyfund.com, Inc., a Clearwater-based technology company that provides wedding registries; and Chevara Orrin and her company, Collective Concepts, LLC.
Orrin and her company provide consulting and training to employers about issues such as diversity, equity and inclusion.
If Walker decides that the plaintiffs are entitled to attorney fees, the amount would then be determined.
Walker also has separately issued a preliminary injunction against part of the law that would restrict the way race-related concepts can be taught in universities. A panel of the Atlanta-based appeals court held a hearing in that case in June.
Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter