Judge OKs $123 million for sex victims

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WILMINGTON, Del., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- A $123 million class action settlement has been approved by a Delaware judge for victims of a pediatrician convicted of sexually abusing hundreds of children.

Dr. Earl Bradley was convicted in August 2011 of multiple counts of child rape involving his patients and sentenced to 14 life terms plus 164 years in prison, The (Wilmington) News Journal reported Tuesday.

"The approval of this class action settlement marks the end of litigation arising from Dr. Bradley's 15-year reign of terror and abuse in Sussex County, Del.," Superior Court Judge Joseph R. Slights III said in his 54-page order.

Under terms of the settlement, the $123 million will be distributed to victims by mediator Thomas Rutter.

Rutter will evaluate each of the more than 900 abuse claims and separate them into five categories based on severity. Some of Bradley's victims were infants.

Bradley documented his crimes on videotapes he kept in his office. The recordings were discovered by police and used as evidence against him.