[JURIST] A judge gave final approval Tuesday to a class action settlement jointly proposed by the Diocese of Covington, KY [official website; Diocese press release] and 361 plaintiffs who alleged they were molested by priests across 75 counties in Kentucky over a 50-year period. The final settlement amount of $85 million was smaller than the estimated settlement of $120 million pre-approved last July [JURIST report], as fewer plaintiffs joined the class than expected. Individual plaintiffs anticipate awards between $5,000 and $450,000, depending on the severity of the abuse suffered. Earlier this month other clergy sex abuse [JURIST news archive] plaintiffs rejected [JURIST report] as too low a settlement offered [JURIST report] by the Boston archdiocese. AP has more.