Philadelphia Ordered to Pay $877,000 Legal Bill in Boy Scouts Suit

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Philadelphia must cover legal fees for a local scouting group the city unsuccessfully sought to evict from a municipal building over the national Boy Scouts’ policy on homosexuality, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.

In denying the city’s motion for a new trial in the case, the judge ordered it to pay $877,000 to the scouts group, Cradle of Liberty, which won a jury verdict in 2010 blocking the eviction.

Philadelphia sought to oust the organization from rent-free space in a city-owned building, arguing that the national Boy Scouts’ ban on gays serving as scout or troop leaders violated municipal anti-discrimination laws.

Cradle of Liberty and Mayor Michael Nutter’s administration reached a settlement last year by which the scouting group would buy the building and forgive legal fees. But the City Council has not signed off on the deal, which is opposed by gay-rights advocates.