24 - CITY OF LA TO PAY NOTORIOUS BIG'S FAMILY LEGAL COSTS

LATEST: Late rapper NOTORIOUS BIG's family are celebrating after a judge ordered the city of Los Angeles to pay $1.1 million (GBP600,000) in legal costs for concealing evidence during an earlier civil lawsuit.

US District Judge FLORENCE-MARIE COOPER declared a mistrial last July (05) after ruling police detective STEPHEN KATZ intentionally withheld evidence linking former Los Angeles Police Officers DAVID MACK and RAFAEL PEREZ to the killing.

Cooper has ordered a retrial to be scheduled later this year (06).

Attorney for the rapper's family PERRY SANDERS says, "It's pretty clear from the ruling that the judge understands this is a significant and difficult case."

The ONE MORE CHANCE hitmaker, real name CHRISTOPHER WALLACE, died in the city after seven shots were fired into his car in March 1997. He was 24. The late star's family allege Mack and Perez orchestrated the killing on behalf of rival music mogul MARION 'SUGE' KNIGHT. All three deny any involvement.