The State of Montana is on the hook for nearly $3 million to cover attorney’s fees stemming from the litigation of Held v. Montana, the youth-led constitutional climate lawsuit that made national headlines when it went to trial in 2023. Lewis and Clark District Court Judge Kathy Seeley, who ruled in favor of the young plaintiffs and affirmed their constitutional right to a “clean and healthful environment,” issued the order awarding attorneys fees on Tuesday. She awarded $2.8 million in attorney’s fees, plus nearly $100,000 in additional costs. Attorney Roger Sullivan of McGarvey Law in Kalispell, who also represented the Held plaintiffs, argued the case for attorney’s fees earlier this year, and he told the Daily Montanan on Wednesday he was pleased with the outcome. “We were protecting, on behalf of our youth plaintiffs, their constitutional rights,” Sullivan said.