Yup, you've read that headline correctly.

The Minnesota Republican Party has tied off a remaining loose end from the epic, eight-month battle to determine a winner in the 2008 Minnesota Senate race, sending Democratic Sen. Al Franken's campaign a check for almost $96,000 that was owed to him by Republican former Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign.

This had been the result of a trial-court judgement in early June, finding Coleman liable under the state's loser-pays provision for a small portion of the legal fees that Franken had piled up in the course of the election litigation.

Also, the state GOP's check to Franken includes $872 in interest, which had built up from it not being paid over the past month. Coleman had initially sought to delay the judgment until the appeals were done, as the state Supreme Court had not yet handed down its final ruling that Franken was the winner. Instead, the order to pay came down, and interest would have continued to build up as long as it was not paid.