Two Sides Unable To Reach Settlement In Hastert Case

The attorneys for former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert and a man known as James Doe were not successful in settling a $1.8 million breach of contract lawsuit during a settlement conference Friday afternoon at the Kendall County Courthouse. The attorneys, Kristi Browne for Doe and John Ellis for Hastert, met separately and together with Kendall County Chief Judge Robert Pilmer over a period of two hours. After the conference ended, Browne said Pilmer “acted as a mediator” to see whether he could bring the two sides together. Browne said there is nothing that prevents the two attorneys from continuing their negotiations outside of the courtroom, but she said she did not know whether she and Ellis would communicate further. An Oct.