Accuser Responds To Dennis Hastert's Demand For 'Hush Money' Repayment

A sexual abuse victim who is suing Dennis Hastert has doubled down on his claim that the disgraced former U.S. House Speaker still owes him $1.8 million in hush money.

The accuser, identified in court documents as James Doe, last week filed a response to Hastert's counterclaim demanding repayment of "hush money." Last month, the imprisoned Hastert demanded his accuser pay him back $1.7 million, saying any agreement they might have made was illegal — and even if it wasn't, the accuser broke the deal by talking about the sexual abuse.

>>>> Hastert to Alleged Abuse Victim: 'Pay Me'

Hastert made the counterclaim in a civil lawsuit filed by James Doe demanding the remaining $1.8 million of the total $3.5 million he claims Hastert agreed to pay in exchange for his silence.

Now a middle-aged man, the victim was one of the students Hastert coached at Yorkville High School in the 1970s. In his lawsuit, he claims that Hastert molested him during a wrestling trip when he was 14 years old. The abuse caused the victim to suffer panic attacks, which led to periods of unemployment, career changes, bouts of depression, hospitalization and long-term psychiatric treatment, according to the lawsuit.

The suit, filed in April 2016, claims Doe met with Hastert in 2010 after learning the former speaker had allegedly abused others. During the discussions, Hastert reportedly acknowledged his guilt and agreed to compensate Doe for it — to the tune of $3.5 million. The payments began in June 2010 and ended in December 2014 after the FBI questioned Hastert about the large bank withdrawals he was making.

In April 2016, Hastert was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison and two years of supervised release for lying to the FBI and evading federal rules governing bank transactions. In court, he apologized for having "mistreated some of my athletes as coach."

In a response filed last week, Doe maintained he is still due the $1.8 million and said it was Hastert who invalidated their agreement that he remain silent.

"Hastert's actions in committing banking law violations and in lying to federal investigators rendered performance of the confidentiality provision of the agreement by Mr. Doe impossible in that he was legally compelled to answer federal investigators' questions truthfully and completely," Doe's attorney said in last week's filing, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The next hearing in the case is March 8 in Kendall County.

Photo: Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert leaves the Dirksen Federal Court House in a wheelchair after his sentencing on April 27, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. Credit: Joshua Lott/Getty Images News/Getty Images