Report: Matt Schlapp's accuser is paid $480,000 to drop gay sex assault suit

A confidential settlement has been reached in the sexual assault case against Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, sources disclosed to CNN.

The lawsuit, which alleged unwanted sexual advances, was dropped following a financial agreement.

Carlton Huffman, the political operative who filed the suit, reportedly received $480,000 through an insurance policy, a source with knowledge of the situation said. Mr. Huffman's original claim sought damages exceeding $9 million.

Questions directed at Mr. Schlapp’s legal representatives regarding the settlement remain unanswered, although they did confirm that Mr. Huffman retracted the legal action. Mr. Schlapp has declared personal vindication following the lawsuit dismissal.

"From the beginning, I asserted my innocence," Mr. Schlapp said in a statement Tuesday. "Our family was attacked, especially by a left-wing media that is focused on the destruction of conservatives regardless of the truth and the facts."

Mr. Schlapp’s lawyers also released a statement by Mr. Huffman: "The claims made in my lawsuits were the result of a complete misunderstanding, and I regret that the lawsuit caused pain to the Schlapp family. Neither the Schlapps nor the ACU paid me anything to dismiss my claims against them."

But CNN reported that "multiple sources" said Mr. Huffman received a financial settlement via an insurance company.

Mr. Huffman told CNN, “I am only legally allowed to say five words, and that is ‘We have resolved our differences.’"

Mr. Schlapp is a prominent figure in the Conservative Political Action Conference, a marquee event organized by the ACU. His bond with former President Donald Trump, initially mixed, has solidified into assertive support.

The alleged incident occurred in October 2022 while Mr. Huffman was engaged in roles for the Georgia GOP and the Senate campaign of Herschel Walker. Mr. Huffman accused Mr. Schlapp of groping him without consent after an evening at two bars in the Atlanta area. Also alleged was Mr. Schlapp’s subsequent invitation to Huffman to visit his hotel room, a proposal Mr. Huffman asserts he rejected.