County legal costs back up

More than three years after the surprise firing of a manager who helped cut litigation costs substantially, Los Angeles County government's legal expenses have shot back up to record levels.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The cost of lawsuit settlements and verdicts jumped in one year by 20percent to reach $60million in 2008-09, according to the county's annual risk management report issued last week.

The costs for outside law firms rose 13percent to hit $44million.