The civil trial of former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill, who was accused of groping four women in 2018, was called off Sunday on the eve of its expected start.
The parties to the case — Hill and the women and Hill — “have agreed to have their case dismissed,” a court official told media Sunday evening. Jury selection had been scheduled to begin Monday morning in front of Judge Patrick J. Dietrick.
The statement didn’t indicate why the parties agreed to the dismissal, including whether they reached a settlement. Dietrick recently rejected the plaintiffs’ request to delay the trial.
A former state lawmaker and three former legislative staffers first sued Hill for battery, defamation and false light invasion of privacy back in 2020 after a federal lawsuit against the Republican was dismissed.
Hill has denied the groping allegations, but in 2020, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that he violated professional rules of conduct and that he committed criminal battery, leading to a suspension of his law license for one month.A 2018 IndyStar investigation revealed the allegations of the four women who said Hill groped them at a post-legislative session gathering at an Indianapolis bar.
Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Curtis Hill’s trial over groping allegations is canceled