The “evidence supports a finding that the city directed and assisted in the city suing itself with a sham lawsuit,” wrote investigator Edward M. Robbins in a 595-page report.

Robbins found that the scheme allowed opposing attorneys to ultimately collect $19 million in fees, an amount he called “excessive, unjustified and a misappropriation of taxpayer funds.”

The report found that several attorneys “violated the ethical rules against dishonesty, deceit, and collusion and violated their ethical duties to the court in violation of Rules of Professional Conduct.”

In October, {Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elihu M.} Berle ordered the city to pay a $2.5-million fine after PriceWaterhouseCooper accused the city attorney’s office of concealing evidence. At a downtown L.A. hearing, Berle said there had been “serious abuse of discovery by the city and its counsel” in the DWP case — actions that merited “considerable sanctions.”