COSTA MESA

Two neighbors who faced possible legal fees of $3.1 million after they lost a lawsuit against the Orange County Fair over noise rules will pay a far smaller amount, an Orange County judge ruled Thursday. In a written decision, Superior Court Judge Robert E. Thomas ordered Laurie Lusk and Jeanne Brown to pay a total of about $5,800 in court costs, and attorneys’ fees yet to be determined. Fair officials had billed them for millions of dollars worth of costs incurred by two major theater chains that also had sued the fair.

The women sued because they wanted to keep noise restrictions in place at the Pacific Amphitheater outdoor concert hall. Thomas ruled that those restrictions effectively made it impossible for concerts to be held there. Brown, who lives on her husband’s military pension and Social Security benefits, said it would still be tough to pay the reduced bill. “We’ll have to scratch for it,” she said.

Neither Lusk nor the women’s attorney, Richard Spix, could be reached Thursday for comment. One of the fair’s attorneys, Mark Kemple of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue in Irvine, said the decision will not be appealed. The judge will make a final ruling on the total amount in May.