INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Four women who accused Curtis Hill of drunkenly groping them at a bar when he was Indiana's attorney general dropped their civil lawsuit against him hours before jury selection was set to begin on Monday.
The women initially sued in federal court in 2019 before filing this last lawsuit in a Marion County court in 2020, claiming that Hill committed battery against them at an Indianapolis bar and then defamed them with repeated claims that their allegations were false.
Their decision Sunday to drop the suit ends nearly seven years of investigations and litigation surrounding Hill’s actions during a March 2018 party on the final night of that year's legislative session, The Indianapolis Star reported.
In a statement from their attorneys, the women said they agreed to dismiss the suit after reaching “the frustrating conclusion that proceeding with the trial cannot provide the relief they sought; namely, Mr. Hill accepting responsibility for his actions and admitting his fault in intentionally touching each of them in a sexual manner without consent.”
The four women who sued Hill are Mara Candelaria Reardon, Gabrielle McLemore Brock, Samantha Lozano and Niki DaSilva. At the time of the March 2018 party, Candelaria Reardon was a Democratic state representative from Munster in northwest Indiana, and the three other women were legislative staffers. All decided to come forward publicly in response to his denials.
Hill said Monday in a statement that the case's dismissal is a vindication of his longstanding denial of the women's claims.
“There was no financial settlement. There were no conditions for dismissal,” Hill said. “The case against me was dismissed with prejudice by each of the plaintiffs, thus ending this odyssey of unfounded allegations that have dogged me for nearly seven years and have served as the fuel for political and personal attacks against me.”
Despite Hill's denials, the Indiana Supreme Court ordered a 30-day suspension of his law license in 2020 after finding “by clear and convincing evidence that (Hill) committed the criminal act of battery” against three female legislative staffers and a state lawmaker during the party. The justices ruled after nine people who attended the party testified at his professional misconduct hearing.
The allegations were a key campaign issue when Hill narrowly lost the 2020 Republican attorney general nomination for his reelection to Todd Rokita, who took office in January 2021.
Hill attempted a political comeback in 2022, but he lost a vote among Republican precinct committee members to replace U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski on the election ballot following her death in a highway crash. Business executive Rudy Yakym won the GOP nomination and election for northern Indiana’s 2nd District seat.
Hill also entered this year's Indiana governor's race, joining a six-way Republican primary to replace term-limited GOP Gov. Eric Holcomb. But first-term U.S. Sen. Mike Braun won the May primary and the November general election.