Admitted Child Molester Dennis Hastert Settles Hush Money Suit

YORKVILLE, IL — Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert and one of the men who authorities say he sexually abused as a child tentatively agreed to a confidential settlement days ahead of a scheduled trial over hush money payments.

Jury selection had been due to begin Monday in the breach-of-contract suit, first filed in 2016, that accused the former teacher and wrestling coach of breaking a promise to pay $3.5 million to ensure the man did not disclose any abuse allegations.

Last week, Kendall County Circuit Court Chief Judge Robert Pilmer ruled the man, who is called James Doe in court papers, would have to reveal his name during the trial, which could also have seen the former speaker called to testify.

Hastert, 79, sexually abused at least four teenage boys during his time working at Yorkville High School before representing Illinois in Congress for more than 20 years, according to federal prosecutors. Authorities said Doe was 14 when Hastert molested him in a hotel room.

After the longest-serving Republican speaker of the House resigned from office and became a lobbyist, Doe asked him about the abuse, and the two men made a verbal agreement regarding the hush money payments in 2010, according to court records.

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Although the statute of limitations for sex crimes that occurred before Hastert launched his political career in the 1980s had expired under state law, the cash-for-secrecy scheme wound up sending Hastert to federal prison.

FBI and IRS agents investigating Hastert's business dealings discovered suspicious cash withdrawals as he paid $1.7 million to Doe. Federal prosecutors charged him in 2015 with lying to the FBI and illegally structuring withdrawals to avoid scrutiny from bank officials. He pleaded guilty to the later charge in exchange for prosecutors dropping the former one.

During his sentencing hearing in 2016, Hastert admitted sexually abusing boys he coached. U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin described Hastert as a "serial child molester" and sentenced him to 15 months in federal prison, two years supervision, a $250,000 fine and sex offender treatment.

Following the sentencing, Doe filed suit seeking the remaining $1.8 million of the hush money payments. In response, Hastert filed a counterclaim asking a judge to make Doe give him back the money he had already been paid.

"Prior to receiving the benefit of $1.7 million, [Doe] promised that he would keep his allegations of [Hastert's] misconduct confidential," John Ellis, Hastert's attorney, said in a 2017 court filing. "Despite having disclosed his allegations of misconduct, [Doe] has wrongly retained the benefit of the $1.7 million that he received from [Hastert] to [Hastert's] detriment."

After the tentative settlement was announced in court Wednesday, Kristi Browne, Doe's attorney, told reporters the deal resolves her client's claims and the disgraced former speaker's counter-claim — but not the trauma of abuse.

"It's never over for a victim of childhood sexual abuse. It's never over. It impacts them for the rest of their lives," Browne said. "This resolves this case."

Related:

• 'Serial Child Molester' Dennis Hastert Done Serving Sentence
• Dennis Hastert Loses State Lawmaker Pension
• Hastert to Alleged Abuse Victim: 'Pay Me'
• Accuser Responds To Dennis Hastert's Demand For 'Hush Money' Repayment
• New Hastert Accuser To Remain Anonymous, Judge Rules
• Dennis Hastert 'Adamantly Denies' Sodomizing 4th-Grade Boy