Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert settles child sexual abuse payments suit

Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert has settled a child sexual abuse payments lawsuit, according to the parties involved. The case centered on an outstanding $1.8 million he allegedly refused to pay, part of an agreement intended to secure an accuser’s silence, lawyers said. The matter was scheduled to go to trial next week, but settlement terms were not disclosed. Court papers identify the accuser as “James Doe,” a high school wrestler whom prosecutors say Hastert, then his coach, sexually abused. Federal prosecutors said Doe had agreed to remain silent and did not pursue blackmail. Doe had filed a breach of contract lawsuit in 2016, alleging Hastert paid only half of a $3.5 million deal.