In a settled lawsuit over defective batteries sold to the U.S. government for use in intercontinental ballistic missile launch systems, a federal appeals court upheld a decision denying the government’s lawyers’ demand for millions of dollars in fees.

The case involved a contentious dispute over how much the firm representing the government should be paid for the time put into the case. While the case settled for $1.7 million, lawyers for the government requested $3.11 million in fees.