By Dan Horn
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Former Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Thomas Nurre was appointed Friday to the panel that will disburse up to $3 million to victims of clergy abuse in Greater Cincinnati.

Nurre, a life-long Catholic who retired from the court last year, joins former Common Pleas Judge Ann Marie Tracey on the three-member panel. Nurre and Tracey will choose the third member early next year.

Nurre was selected by Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen, while Tracey was chosen by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

The panel and the victims' compensation fund were established last month as part of a settlement between the archdiocese and the prosecutor. As part of the deal, the archdiocese pleaded no contest to charges that church officials failed to report allegations of sexual abuse involving priests more than 20 years ago. The church was convicted of failure to report a crime.

Church officials have said they will raise $3 million from the sale of unneeded church property and will then turn the money over to the panel, which will evaluate each case and determine how much money, if any, alleged victims should receive.

E-mail dhorn@enquirer.com