© 2024 WNIJ and WNIU
Northern Public Radio
801 N 1st St.
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-9000
Northern Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WNIJ's summary of news items around our state.

Judge Says He'll Rule Next Month On Lawsuit Against Hastert

"Dennis Hastert 109th pictorial photo" by United States Congress

A Kendall County judge says he will issue a written decision in 45 days on whether a lawsuit filed against former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert by a sexual abuse victim should be dismissed.

Characterizing the lawsuit as a form of extortion, attorneys for Hastert asked Judge Robert Pilmer to dismiss a lawsuit brought in April by the man who contends Hastert owes him $1.8 million of the $3.5 million promised to keep the man silent.

After hearing arguments Friday from the two sides, Pilmer said he will issue his written opinion before a scheduled Nov. 29 hearing.

The 74-year-old Illinois Republican is serving a 15-month prison sentence for violating banking laws in trying to silence the victim, who says he was abused when Hastert was a high-school wrestling coach decades ago.

The man isn't identified in court documents.

Related Stories