Lawsuit against ex-U.S. House Speaker Hastert can proceed: judge
Source: Reuters
World | Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:29pm EDT
Lawsuit against ex-U.S. House Speaker Hastert can proceed: judge
CHICAGO | BY SUZANNAH GONZALES
A $1.8 million civil lawsuit filed by a victim of former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, convicted of a financial crime linked to sexual abuse of high school wrestlers decades ago, can proceed, an Illinois judge ruled on Thursday.
Hastert, 74, once one of the country's most powerful politicians, was sentenced on Wednesday to 15 months in federal prison. During the sentencing hearing, Hastert acknowledged sexually abusing boys when he was a teacher and coach in his hometown of Yorkville, Illinois.
The victim, identified as James Doe, filed the civil lawsuit in Kendall County Circuit Court in northeastern Illinois, claiming Hastert owes him the unpaid portion of a $3.5 million deal they verbally agreed to in 2008 to compensate him for decades of pain and suffering.
Judge Robert Pilmer ruled at a hearing that Doe is to file within seven days a complaint under seal using his legal name, but that he can proceed under a fictitious name until further ordered by the court.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/us-crime-hastert-idUSKCN0XP2Q4
Source:
Associated Press
Judge: Man Suing Hastert Can Remain Anonymous for Now
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
YORKVILLE, Ill. Apr 28, 2016, 2:20 PM ET
One day after a man publicly revealed himself as a sexual abuse victim of Dennis Hastert, a judge ruled Thursday that another victim does not have to reveal his name in a lawsuit that contends the former U.S. House Speaker hasn't paid all the money promised in exchange for his silence.
But Kendall County Judge Robert Pilmer did not rule out requiring the man, known in federal court documents as Individual A, to be identified in the future. Pilmer also wants the lawsuit refiled, under seal, with the man's name on it.
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http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/judge-man-suing-hastert-remain-anonymous-now-38736473