On March 30, a federal court ordered California to pay $4.5 million in attorneys’ fees to the plaintiffs in the case of Mirabelli v. Bonta.

The lawsuit was filed in 2023 by two teachers and parents who opposed a state policy that allowed schools to keep parents in the dark about their child’s gender transition. The plaintiffs argued the policy infringed on First Amendment and due process rights.

Last year, the court issued a permanent injunction blocking the policy. The U.S. Supreme Court vacated the Ninth Circuit’s stay on March 2, allowing the injunction to take effect.

The fee award comes after the court determined that the state’s litigation tactics, including numerous meritless motions, unnecessarily drove up costs for California taxpayers.