A US federal judge has approved a settlement under which Arthur Andersen will pay $72.5 million to investors who sued the firm for its involvement in the Enron scandal. US District Judge Melinda Harmon signed an order approving the settlement, ending the former accounting giant's involvement in a $40 billion class action lawsuit.

The University of California Board of Regents is the main plaintiff in the case and has already received over $7.3 billion from JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse Group were also sued in the case, but they are seeking a ruling that the case should never have been certified as a class action.

The US Supreme Court overturned a 2002 obstruction of justice conviction against Arthur Andersen for its involvement in the fallout of Enron, but the ruling did not come in time to save the accounting firm which is no longer in operation.