The plaintiff, identified as James Doe, filed the 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.
Doe said he was 14 when he was molested by Hastert, a trusted family
friend, high school teacher and "beloved coach" of the state
champion wrestling team in the town of Yorkville, Illinois.
Hastert, 74, pleaded guilty in October to a federal charge in
Chicago federal court of "structuring" for evading bank reporting
rules by withdrawing large amounts of cash in small increments. He
was taking out the funds to make payments to a man identified in
court documents by federal prosecutors as Individual A.
Hastert is scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday for the financial
crime, and faces up to five years in prison although prosecutors
have recommended a maximum of six months. Another Hastert accuser
known as Individual D, and the sister of another accuser, who is
deceased, are expected to testify at the sentencing hearing.
Hastert's attorney, Thomas Green, had no comment on the lawsuit, a
spokeswoman said in an email.
Court documents in Hastert's trial revealed that he was accused of
abusing five boys in the 1960s and 1970s, decades before he became
one of the country's most powerful politicians.
Doe's lawsuit claims Hastert sexually molested and abused him in a
motel room while they were on a trip to a wrestling camp.
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"For many years to follow, Plaintiff (Doe) suffered severe panic
attacks which lead to periods of unemployment, career changes, bouts
of depression, hospitalization, and psychiatric long-term
treatment," the lawsuit said.
Hastert admitted in his plea deal that he paid $1.7 million in cash,
from June 2010 to December 2014, to someone he had known for decades
to compensate for past misconduct.
Doe said in his lawsuit that he confronted Hastert in 2008 after
learning that Hastert had sexually abused another person. Doe
suggested $3.5 million when Hastert asked him how much would
compensate him. Hastert agreed to pay the amount and asked for Doe
to keep the agreement quiet, the lawsuit said.
(Reporting by Justin Madden in Chicago; Editing by Alexia
Garamfalvi)
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