Federal Bureau of Investigation

Illinois Court Upholds Dismissal of Suit Against Hastert

An Illinois appeals court has upheld a lower court's decision to toss a lawsuit alleging former House Speaker Dennis Hastert sexually abused a fourth-grader in the 1970s, saying it agreed the accuser filed the suit too late.

The Crystal Lake Northwest Herald reports the Illinois 2nd District Appellate Court ruled Friday that Hastert had a right to invoke statutes of limitation even regarding "particularly loathsome" allegations.

The unnamed accuser says Hastert abused him when he stopped to use a bathroom at a Yorkville building outside Chicago. He says Hastert warned him not to go to police.

The accusation wasn't part of a criminal hush-money case revealing Hastert abused at least four boys when he coached and taught in Yorkville.

A message left for Hastert's attorneys Tuesday weren't returned.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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