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Illinois Court Upholds Dismissal Of Suit Against Hastert

YORKVILLE, Ill. (AP) - 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.

Dennis Hastert
Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert's mug shot. (Credit: Lake County Sheriff)

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.

Messages left for Hastert's attorneys weren't returned.

RELATED: Hastert To Friends: I Am A Victim Too 

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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