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GREENSBORO — Guilford County must pay the legal fees of eight Greensboro residents who successfully challenged state-mandated changes to the City Council, a federal appeals court has ordered, reversing a lower court’s ruling.

The April 15 ruling by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals could come with a $600,000 price tag.

Alan Branson, chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, said the county was dealt “a pretty rough deck of cards” in the case.

“I don’t foresee any kind of settlement in the near future,” said Branson, leader of the Republican majority. “There will be a whole lot more discussion prior to any exchange of money.”

The legal fees stem from a federal lawsuit the residents and city of Greensboro filed against the county that challenged the constitutionality of a 2015 state law championed by former Sen. Trudy Wade. Under that law, the council would have been reduced from nine to seven members and the mayor would have only been able to vote in the case of a tie, council member terms would have increased and voting districts would have been altered.