Settlements

Los Angeles city officials and downtown developers who evicted or harassed about 100 low-income residents of the Alexandria Hotel must pay almost $1 million to house and compensate the victims under a settlement announced Thursday.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, will pay $17.5 million to settle a lawsuit claiming that the company discriminated against African Americans in recruiting and hiring truck drivers. The lawsuit was filed in 2004 by Daryal Nelson, who claimed that he was rejected for a truck driver position because of his race. The lawsuit was given class-action status in May 2007. Wal-Mart's motions to dismiss the case or decertify the class were denied last month.

Coca-Cola Co. and joint-venture partner Nestle agreed to pay $650,000 in a settlement with 27 states over claims that Enviga green tea burns calories, resulting in weight loss. Connecticut Atty. Gen. Richard Blumenthal began an inquiry in 2007 seeking evidence that consumers who drink Enviga burn more calories than they take in. Blumenthal, who had said the claim might be "voodoo nutrition," led the coalition of states and the District of Columbia in the settlement.

South Korean pop star and actor Rain and his managers were ordered Thursday to pay a Hawaiian promoter more than $8 million in damages for canceling a 2007 concert in Honolulu. A federal jury found Rain, his former management agency JYP Entertainment and two South Korean companies breached a contract to perform and defrauded Click Entertainment Inc. Nearly $5 million was for punitive damages, with Rain and JYP each ordered to pay $2.4 million.

Federal government to DirecTV and Comcast cable: What part of Do Not Call didn't you understand? Satellite television provider DirecTV Inc. agreed to pay $2.31 million to settle charges that it made more than 1 million calls to its customers who had -- as was their right -- placed themselves on a Do Not Call list, the Federal Trade Commission said Thursday. And why did the company make the calls? To ask the customers to remove themselves from the list, the agency said.

Perhaps the least glorious chapter in the creation of Walt Disney Concert Hall has finally ended in a confidential settlement of the 2-year-old lawsuit over "Collar and Bow," the gigantic sculpture that architect Frank Gehry envisioned extending a lighthearted greeting from the concert hall's doorstep -- until it literally began to fall apart during fabrication.

Metrolink agreed to pay a former spokeswoman who resigned in the aftermath of last year's Chatsworth train crash $135,000 to settle potential claims against the agency, according to a copy of the agreement obtained Tuesday. Denise Tyrrell, who recently was hired to manage the state Public Utilities Commission's Los Angeles office, was the public face of the commuter rail agency in the grim early hours after the disaster that killed 25 and injured 135.

Total Call International Inc. of Los Angeles will pay $300,000 in civil penalties to settle a lawsuit alleging that the cellphone company charged customers steep undisclosed fees. Under the terms of the settlement, the state, which filed the suit as part of an enforcement action, will monitor the company's fees for four years. The settlement came shortly after California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown filed the suit Friday in San Francisco Superior Court.

Chrysler's bankruptcy is throwing a wrench into California's lemon law, which is intended to make it easier for consumers to get refunds for defective vehicles. As the automaker's bankruptcy grinds away, settlement checks from Chrysler to unhappy car buyers are bouncing and complaints are stymied in and out of court. Consumer advocates say the situation could erode public confidence in buying new cars at precisely the time the automakers need customers in their showrooms.

KB Home's former head of human resources agreed Thursday to pay $550,000 to settle Securities and Exchange Commission allegations stemming from an options backdating scheme at the Westwood home builder. The SEC alleged that Gary A. Ray, 50, violated federal securities laws by backdating stock options to illegally benefit himself, other company executives and employees.