The mammoth slick that oozed out of the Exxon Valdez tanker into Alaska's Prince William Sound two years ago may have been tough on otters and seagulls, but it was black gold for the legal profession. The 1989 disaster generated more than 300 lawsuits. Last week the largest was settled barely a month before it was due to go to trial, as Exxon reached an agreement with Alaska and the U.S. The cost: a guilty plea to three criminal charges that the company negligently discharged crude oil into navigable waters and killed migratory wildlife, and fines that may eventually total $1.1...
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