Los Angeles OKs million-dollar payment to family of Notorious B.I.G.

Los Angeles has approved a $1.1-million US payment to the family of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. for legal costs incurred during last year's wrongful death lawsuit.

The payment was approved Wednesday after a unanimous vote in city council.

"It's unfortunate but we don't have any choice," city councillor Dennis Zine said after the 11-0 vote, according to the Associated Press.

"We had a case here where an experienced detective made a mistake and the city and its taxpayers have to pay for it."

A U.S. district judge had ordered the city to pay the penalty after learning that a police detective withheld evidence pertinent to the case. The judge declared a mistrial last July.

Rapper Notorious B.I.G., whose real name was Christopher Wallace, was shot and killed in March 1997 after leaving a music industry party in Los Angeles.

Long unsolved, the murder is often attributed to the East Coast-West Coast rap rivalry that existed at the time.

Wallace's family claims that the hit rapper's death was the work of corrupt Los Angeles police officers working for a rival rap mogul and sued the city and the Los Angeles Police Department.

The family has stated that it will go ahead with a new wrongful death trial and hopes a new trial date will be set next month.