GARNER — A defamation lawsuit involving a former Iowa state lawmaker acquitted of sexually abusing his wife has been settled.
A lawsuit filed by former Rep. Henry Rayhons, of Garner, and a countersuit filed by his two stepdaughters were dismissed Wednesday. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Rayhons was acquitted in 2015 after being accused of having sex with his wife while she lived in a nursing home, suffering from dementia.
He then sued his stepdaughters, saying they had defamed him and pushed the state to prosecute him. The stepdaughters, Susan Brunes and Linda Dunshee, countersued Rayhons and his son. The counterclaim said the Rayhons had made defamatory statements against the stepdaughters.