( April 2, 2025, 9:16 AM EDT) -- PEORIA, Ill. — An Illinois federal judge has granted preliminary approval to a settlement that would resolve an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) lawsuit on a class basis for $4 million; the development came as briefing remains suspended in an interlocutory appeal concerning whether the plaintiff can pursue planwide relief in a representative capacity given that class certification was denied due to intraclass conflict....