Oakland kills plan to build luxury Lake Merritt high-rise

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Oakland's city council has quietly killed plans to build a controversial luxury high-rise near Lake Merritt.

The council scrapped a $12-million deal to sell the land to a real estate firm in closed session Wednesday.

The move comes after a confidential memo from the Oakland city attorney was leaked publicly. It claimed the city ignored state law when it began negotiating with the private developer.