Columbus County has agreed to pay lawyer fees for The Assembly and Border Belt Independent, after a judge ruled that the county had failed to comply with North Carolina’s public records laws.
The county had appealed Superior Court Judge Quintin McGee’s order in December that the county pay $74,557 to cover the cost of lawyers representing the news organizations. That fee award reflected the judge’s determination that The Assembly and Border Belt Independent had substantially prevailed in their suit against Columbus County.
But the county submitted a notice of withdrawal of its appeal on Tuesday, a day after county commissioners voted to do so.