A Manhattan judge has given preliminary approval to a settlement in a long-running class action lawsuit filed on behalf of about 250,000 New York City residents who receive public assistance or food stamps, and whose benefits were reduced because of violations of workfare requirements.

The Legal Aid Society teamed up with special counsel from Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel to represent the class, of which tens of thousands may receive between $4 million and $8 million, but the figure is still an estimate, said Lester Helfman of the Legal Aid Society, the lead attorney on the case.