A Lane County judge denied gay activist Terry Bean's request Thursday to settle child sex abuse charges by compensating the underage victim.
Bean, 66, and his former boyfriend, Kiah Loy Lawson, 25, are accused of having sex with a 15-year-old boy at a Eugene hotel in 2013.
They each are charged with two counts of third-degree sodomy, a felony, and third-degree sexual abuse, a misdemeanor.
Bean, who lives in Portland and is a prominent political fundraiser, proposed a civil compromise that could result in the dismissal of the criminal charges. Had the request been granted, the criminal charges against Bean would have been dismissed.
Circuit Judge Charles Zennaché said he was unaware of another child sex abuse case that has been settled by civil compromise.
In Oregon, judges have discretion to accept or deny a civil compromise.
In the Bean case, the alleged victim, now 17, supports the settlement and does not want to testify, said attorney Lori Deveny, who represents the boy.
"He has been as vocal as he can be and his voice still isn't being heard," Deveny said.
"There are certain social mores that we, as a society say, 'We are not going to let this happen,' " Zennaché said.
"I think it's bad public policy ... (and bad) from a public safety perspective," Zennaché said.
Terms of the offer were not made public. Zennaché cleared the courtroom while Bean's attorney, Derek Ashton, detailed the proposed settlement.
Bean is an Obama bundler.
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