A Sonoma gay man will receive a $600,000 settlement from Sonoma County’s Public Guardian program after being prevented from seeing his dying partner in the hospital by social workers, The Advocate reports.

Clay Greene, 78, filed suit last year, claiming he was denied hospital visitation rights because of his sexual orientation, despite the fact that the couple had medical declarations, powers of attorney and signed will naming each other as spouses, according to Mercury News.

The attorney who represented the county denies any discrimination took place, claiming that Greene was kept away from his partner because of previous domestic violence allegations, but said the county chose to settle to avoid further expense

It just made economic sense to stop the bleeding,” Spaulding said. “To end the case and avoid all expenses and costs.”