California counts legal cost of energy crisis

The latest settlement in litigation over California's energy crisis includes tens of millions of dollars in attorneys' fees. California Attorney General Bill Lockyer's office announced that Houston-based El Paso Corp agreed to a settlement worth $1.6bn (£98m) in payouts. It includes up to $60m (£36.7m) for attorneys' fees and expenses for 11 plaintiffs' firms. The firms that will collect a share of the fees include Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, Kiesel Boucher & Larson, Girardi & Keese, Engstrom Lipscomb & Lack and O'Donnell & Shaeffer.