A court-appointed investigator hired to look into the Department of Water and Power billing scandal found that 'evidence supports a finding that the city directed and assisted in the city suing itself with a sham lawsuit.' A spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer disputed some of the findings.
A court-appointed investigator on Tuesday released a sweeping report on the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the city attorney’s office, finding that attorneys participated in a scheme to settle litigation sparked by a faulty billing system and turn around the DWP’s battered image.
Robbins found that the scheme allowed opposing attorneys to ultimately collect $19 million in fees, an amount he called “excessive, unjustified and a misappropriation of taxpayer funds.” Following PricewaterhouseCoopers’ accusations, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elihu M. Berle, who oversaw both suits, tasked Robbins, a former federal prosecutor, in 2019 with scrutinizing payments and contracts linked to the suits.
The report found that several attorneys “violated the ethical rules against dishonesty, deceit, and collusion and violated their ethical duties to the court in violation of Rules of Professional Conduct.”Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for the city attorney’s office, disputed the report’s findings about the staff attorneys, saying the steps they took were appropriate.
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