Judge OKs $1.3M settlement in KC priest lawsuit

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A Jackson County judge has approved a $1.35 million settlement in a civil lawsuit involving a Kansas City priest who’s serving 50 years in prison for producing child pornography.

A Jackson County judge approved the settlement in the lawsuit filed in 2011 by a girl and her parents against the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese, Bishop Robert Finn and the Rev. Shawn Ratigan. Ratigan was sentenced in September to 50 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to five child pornography counts, representing one charge for each of five victims.

The Kansas City Star reports the judge’s approval of the civil settlement was put into the court record last week, nearly a month after the diocese reached the agreement. The diocese says the settlement was paid by insurance.