A federal judge Tuesday combined a series of civil lawsuits filed in the wake of the Luzerne County juvenile justice scandal into a unified class-action case. Senior U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo's decision cleared a path for resolving the cases, which have languished in the federal court system for more than four years…The civil-rights claims seek damages from former judges Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. and Michael T. Conahan, who are serving lengthy sentences for racketeering; PA Child Care LLC, Western PA Child Care LLC and Mid-Atlantic Youth Services Corp., which own and operate the centers in Pittston Twp. and Butler County, and the former co-owner of those companies, Robert J. Powell, a Drums attorney who paid the judges $770,000.