Verizon, AT&T will pay $116 million settlement in CA overcharge lawsuit

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The nation's largest cellphone providers will pay a combined $116 million in a California lawsuit alleging that they overcharged government customers for more than a decade.

Verizon will pay $68 million and AT&T Mobility will pay $48 million to settle claims that they violated cost-saving agreements with nearly 300 state and local governments.

Sprint and T-Mobile previously agreed to pay a combined $9.6 million. The California Attorney General's Office decided not to sue, but a whistleblower used a state law that allows for such independent lawsuits.

The wireless companies denied wrongdoing and said they settled to avoid lengthy and costly litigation.