Also. . .

* Five private lawyers hired to represent Texas in the state’s lawsuit against the tobacco industry agreed to accept $3.3 billion for their work instead of seeking more money from the state. The five attorneys were under a federal judge’s order to decide by Friday whether to accept the amount, set by a national arbitration panel, or try to collect under their original state contract, which called for them to get 15% of whatever Texas receives from the tobacco industry.

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* Abercrombie & Fitch said it will verify that buyers of its racy Christmas catalog are at least 18, in a response to complaints from Michigan’s attorney general over the catalog’s sexually explicit articles and nude photos. The policy will be implemented nationwide at 230 stores by the end of next week.

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