California Judge orders former Rep. Katie Hill to pay more attorneys' fees

A California judge on Friday has ordered former California Democratic Rep. Katie Hill to pay nearly $55,000 in attorneys' fees and costs to Salem Media Group over her failed revenge porn lawsuit.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Yolanda Orozco had preciously ruled on April 21 that Salem Media, which owns the conservative site Red State, had shown the photos of Hill as a matter of public interest and protected by the First Amendment, according to SpectrumNews.

"Here, the intimate images published by (RedState.com) spoke to plaintiff's character and qualifications for her position, as they allegedly depicted Plaintiff with a campaign staffer with whom it was alleged she had a sexual affair,'' Orozco wrote. "Accordingly, the images were a matter of public issue or public interest."

Salem had originally asked for $70,000 in attorneys' fees, which Hills' lawyers rejected. Orozco had also preciously handed a victory to the British tabloid The Daily Mail and ordered Hill to pay the paper nearly $220,000 in attorney fees.

Hill had sued the Mail, claiming the paper had conspired with her ex-husband to distribute naked photos of her including one of her with the female campaign staffer, resulting in a scandal that led to her resigning from Congress in 2019.