German utilities set for compensation after court win on nuclear

By Christoph Steitz and Vera Eckert KARLSRUHE/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's highest court ruled on Tuesday that hastening the shutdown of nuclear plants after Japan's Fukushima disaster violated some of the property rights of utility companies, allowing them to seek limited damages. Utilities E.ON , RWE and Vattenfall [VATN.UL] sued the German government, arguing the decision to close all nuclear plants by 2022 amounted to expropriation. Its move to end nuclear power has been welcomed by a maj