Ashland Oil Inc. said it would take...

Ashland Oil Inc. said it would take an after-tax charge of about $25 million in its fiscal fourth quarter to cover the cost of settling a lawsuit brought by two former executives. Company spokesman Roger Schrum said the charge against earnings would amount to about 22 cents per share in the three months ended Sept. 30. The announcement came after Ashland, which has headquarters in Ashland, Ky., reached a settlement in principle to pay $25 million to the former executives who claimed they were fired for refusing to offer or cover up bribes to foreign officials.