Appeals court says same-sex couple can sue Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis for damages

Kim Davis.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Nearly two years after being denied a marriage license by Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, a gay couple has finally won court approval to move forward with a lawsuit. On Tuesday, a federal appeals court reversed a lower court's ruling, granting the couple, David Ermold and David Moore, the right to sue Davis for damages.

In an incident captured in a video that went viral, Davis, citing her religious beliefs, refused the couple a marriage license despite the Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. The couple's case was originally tossed out by a lower court in August because of a state law excusing county clerks like Davis from signing same-sex marriage licenses, and because Davis' office did eventually grant the couple a marriage license.

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