In a new report, a court-appointed investigator said he has found preliminary evidence of fraud and ethics violations related to lawsuits and payments stemming from the 2013 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power billing debacle.
Edward M. Robbins, a former federal prosecutor, didn’t offer many details. But in his report filed Nov. 14, he said that “some lawyers” involved in the billing-related litigation “committed fraud, by omission and commission, on the court” and that “some payments” made by the city of Los Angeles “were induced by fraud.”
It’s unclear if the fraud and ethics violations are new allegations or ones already made by other parties. Robbins declined an interview request.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elihu M. Berle appointed Robbins to scrutinize payments, lawsuits and contracts linked to the billing debacle, in which tens of thousands of DWP customers were overcharged when the utility rolled out new billing software.
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