Hastert Demands Hush Money Back From ‘Individual A,' Court Records Show

Dennis Hastert wants his money back.

In a new motion filed in Kendall County Circuit Court, Hastert alleges that a young victim, identified previously as “Individual A”, breached their confidentiality agreement and should now be ordered to repay $1.7 million in hush money which the jailed former speaker had paid the man to conceal prior incidents of sexual abuse.

The case dates back to the seventies, when the now-grown man identified in court documents as “James Doe” says Hastert sexually molested him during a wrestling trip when he was 14 years old.

Doe said Hastert promised him $3.5 million to keep quiet about the incident. But after $1.7 million was paid, authorities began questioning the former speaker’s unusual bank withdrawals and the entire affair was uncovered. Hastert pled guilty to violating banking laws and is currently serving a 15 month sentence in a Minnesota prison.

The young victim sued Hastert for the balance of the hush money. But in the newest filing, Hastert’s lawyers say Doe reneged on the deal, and should thus be required to return all payments he received.

Even as he denies that there ever was an enforceable contract between the two, Hastert says if the court does rule that there was a legal agreement, Doe should be found in breach of contract.

“Plaintiff was obligated to keep the existence of the alleged agreement, along with its subject matter confidential,” the motion states. “Contrary to his obligations, Plaintiff disclosed both the existence and subject matter of the alleged agreement.”

Doe has previously argued that he only disclosed the matter, when police approached him about Hastert’s unusual withdrawals.

Late Thursday, his attorney Kristi Browne called Hastert’s actions “predictable”.

“Mr. Hastert has decided that rather than live up to his promise to compensate his victim for his molestation and resulting injury, he will ask his victim to pay him,” she said. “He admits to agreeing to make payments, but then denies that it is an agreement that he has to keep.”

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