INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ Nearly 300 patients of a former doctor from northwest Indiana who was convicted of performing unnecessary or fake surgeries will receive a total of $55 million under a settlement.
 
  Lake County Judge John Pera approved the settlement involving claims against Mark Weinberger on Monday.
 
  Attorney Barry Rooth says 282 patients will each receive an average of almost $250,000 under the agreement. Part of that money will come from the state’s Patients Compensation Fund, which is built from fees paid by doctors and other medical providers. 
 
  Some of the lawsuits date to 2004, when Weinberger disappeared during a vacation in Greece. Weinberger was living in a tent on a mountain in Italy when he was arrested in December 2009.
 
  A judge sentenced him to seven years in prison in October.