Taxpayers to pay $1.6 million to attorneys in abortion case

MADISON — Wisconsin taxpayers will pay $1.6 million to attorneys who represented Planned Parenthood and others in a lawsuit that successfully challenged a law requiring hospital admitting privileges for doctors who perform abortions.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported Thursday that the state Department of Justice agreed to the fees for lawyers and other costs in a federal court filing.

The law was ruled unconstitutional by a federal court judge in 2015 and the state appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in June denied to take the case.

Planned Parenthood, Milwaukee Women's Medical Services and others were represented by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin Foundation and the Madison law firm of Cullen Weston Pines & Bach.