usually the award of the attorney fees are for some extreme/extraordinary situations, unless there is a statute that says attorney fees can be awarded. even then, it is usually by judges discretion.
you might want to tell judge your side of the story, and ask the judge to "balance the equity". you should tell her that you are more than willing to pay for the late fee and even some interest. but the attorney fees should not be your responsibility because the HOA has not exhausted all the negotiations before they filed the law suit.