Thanks to Metro, “Anti-jihad” blogger Pamela Geller—or her attorney—is now a little bit richer. The transit agency’s ill-fated attempt to delay running ads from Geller’s American Freedom Defense Initiative group that equated Muslims with savages will cost the agency $35,000 in attorney’s fees for AFDI, according to a new email obtained by the Legal Times.
In the email (below), dated Oct. 17, an unnamed associate general counsel for Metro writes to an unnamed recipient, presumably someone with AFDI, that the agency would pay $35,000 in fees and costs. Earlier that month, a federal judge had ruled that Metro had to run the ads, despite Metro’s concerns that it would inflame tensions in the Middle East.
Does this pricey legal defeat have Metro changing any policies on future ad delays? Via email, Metro spokesman Dan Stessel wrote that decisions about legal action over ads are still up to Metro’s general counsel and General Manager Richard Sarles. Geller didn’t respond to a request for comment.