In a long-awaited decision arising from a protracted South Florida harassment case, a federal appeals panel has ruled that lawyers seeking sanctions against opposing attorneys may now recover fees accrued during the time it took to pursue the punishment.

A sharply worded opinion issued this week by a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Miami federal judge’s imposition of $387,738 in sanctions against the legal team of Bill and Karen Amlong.