A U.S. bankruptcy court judge on Friday approved Sears Holding Corp's[S: SHLDQ] request to pay up to $25.3 million in bonuses to top executives and other high-ranking employees, the Chicago Tribune reported, even as the retailer reported losing nearly $1.9 billion in the first three quarters this year. Sears, which filed for bankruptcy protection in October, said it needs to able to offer the compensation to encourage key employees to stick with the restructuring company, the paper said, citing court documents. The company's proposal offers bonuses totaling up to $8.4 million to 19 executives if the company achieves certain financial targets over the next six months. The retailer also got permission to set aside up to $16.9 million in retention bonuses for a separate group of 315 senior employees. Since filing for bankruptcy, the company already raised base salaries for certain executives, including three tapped to form the Office of the Chief Executive after former CEO Eddie Lampert stepped down. Lampert remains the company's chairman, and his hedge fund, ESL Investments, has offered to buy many of the retailer's remaining assets for $4.6 billion.