Judge OKs Texaco’s Settlement of Bias Suit

A federal judge approved Texaco Inc.’s $176-million settlement of a racial-discrimination lawsuit, though he held off ruling on proposed fees for the victors’ attorneys and “incentive awards” for the six workers who filed the suit. The settlement is “fair and reasonable and highly beneficial” to the 1,348 current and former black Texaco employees covered in the class-action case, U.S. District Judge Charles Brieant in White Plains, N.Y., said in a ruling dated Friday and released Wednesday. The attorneys who represented the workers are seeking $29 million.