Illinois to pay game lawsuit fees

Legal wars can carry huge losses for the loser, as the state of Illinois found out.

Late last year, the State of Illinois failed in an attempt to pass laws that would restrict the sale and rental to minors of games with violent or explicit content. Retailers found guilty of violating the laws would have been subject to fines of $1,000 per infraction.

However, the Entertainment Software Association filed suit to have them overturned, and the laws never went into effect, because a federal judge deemed them unconstitutional. The ESA then won a ruling to have the state of Illinois pay legal fees incurred by the organization.

Now, months after being told to pick up the trade group's legal tab, Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich finally outlined a plan to pay off the $520,000 debt after a US District Judge ordered him to pay up, according to the Associated Press.

Lawyers for the governor allegedly said that the debts will be paid from unspent money from other agencies under the guidance of Blagojevich. The judge will hear the proposal and rule on whether it is acceptable on Wednesday.