CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland has settled a federal lawsuit for an undisclosed amount of money with the families of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams, who were killed after a 2012 car chase in which police officers fired 137 shots at Russell's car, a judge said Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster said in documents that the settlement is dependent upon a judge's approval in Cuyahoga County Probate Court, where the estates were set up to oversee any awards from the lawsuit. A probate judge would decide whether the settlement is fair and just. Nothing had been filed on it Wednesday.

"The court held a settlement conference with clients and counsel on July 14,'' Polster wrote. "As a result of negotiations, the above captioned case has settled, subject to Probate Court approval.''

In an interview Wednesday morning, Polster would not discuss settlement figures, saying only "I'm not going to say anything beyond the order.''

The agreement comes just eight months after the administrators for the estates of Russell and Williams filed suit against the city, its top administrators, police brass and officers on Thanksgiving.

The suit claims officers used excessive force, supervisors failed to rein in officers during the chase and top administrators provided inadequate supervision and training to officers regarding the department's policies and practices. The U.S. Justice Department is examining the use of force by officers and the city's policies.

The lawsuit stemmed from Nov. 29, 2012, when 60-some police cruisers chased Russell and Williams for more than 20 miles to the parking lot of Heritage Middle School in East Cleveland and the gunfire that followed. The chase began near the Justice Center, where officers believed someone in Russell's car fired at them.

The suit says the pair did not have a gun with them during any part of the pursuit. Authorities said they believe the noise stemmed from a backfire from Russell's car.

Unlike countless other major lawsuits filed in federal court, the legal fight involving the families' estates and Cleveland appears unique: There were no depositions taken, and neither side submitted any major filings.

"Each case is different, and each case has its own time table,'' Polster told The Plain Dealer.

Terry Gilbert, one of the attorneys representing the estate of Russell, and David Malik, one of the lawyers representing the estate of Williams, said: "The lawyers for both estates, as well lawyers for the City and officers, are unable to disclose the terms at this point because any settlement must be approved by the probate court. That process will take some time.

"Nothing can ever provide a complete sense of justice because what occurred on Nov. 29, 2012, cannot be reversed,'' the attorneys said. "The families will have closure, and that is very important to them, but this is just the beginning of the road to real reform in Cleveland.

"We look forward to the results of the U.S. Department of Justice investigation, and we stand ready to work with the community to make sure that excessive force by Cleveland Police comes to an end.''

A city spokesman said Cleveland officials would not discuss the settlement.

The settlement comes less than two months after a Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Patrolman Michael Brelo with two counts of voluntary manslaughter. He fired 49 shots into the car, with the last barrage unloaded from the hood of Russell's car, according to records filed by prosecutors.

The grand jury panel also accused five supervisors of dereliction of duty for their roles in the chase: sergeants Randolph Dailey, Patricia Coleman, Jason Edens, Michael Donegan and Lt. Paul Wilson.

The officers have pleaded not guilty. A trial date has not been set.

Defense attorney Patrick D'Angelo represents Brelo. He has maintained that the officer and the others involved did nothing wrong.

"(The settlement) is further proof that the plaintiffs' attorneys and the families have made this case all about money,'' said D'Angelo, who also represents the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, the police union. "They have bootstrapped themselves on the investigation and have used it for their case.

"I wonder how many hours they spent working on this case compared to how much they will make. And now that this settlement is over, they'll bring their energy to the criminal case as retribution.''

He also said that some family members estranged from Russell and Williams but are now seeking money from the settlement.

When the lawsuit was filed in November, D'Angelo said that Brelo and others involved in the case will be vindicated when the evidence is presented. He said then that Russell attempted to drive over at least three officers, using his car as a deadly weapon. He also said that based on radio broadcasts and the way Russell and Williams acted in the car, the officers acted within the law.

But late Wednesday, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty released a statement that scoffed at D'Angelo's words.

"Obviously, despite the union's latest malevolent statement, the police were out of control that night, plain and simple,'' McGinty said. "There was no leadership. In addition to killing a totally innocent passenger and a petty criminal who just could have been arrested later, the police very easily could have killed other motorists or pedestrians during the chase or one another as they shot up their own police cruisers at the school.

"Let's all work to see that this fiasco is never repeated. If we can do that, the city will save both lives and money and start to build public confidence.''