Sex tape of Edwards, mistress to be destroyed

RALEIGH, N.C. - Copies of a sex tape involving John Edwards and his mistress will be destroyed within 30 days, following the settlement of a lawsuit over ownership of the video.

Rielle Hunter had won ownership of a sex tape she filmed with the former presidential candidate as he was running for the White House.

She sued former Edwards aide Andrew Young and his wife in 2010 over the tape and other personal items the couple claimed she left in a box of trash. Hunter lived with the Youngs in 2007, while she was pregnant with Edwards' baby, and Young initially claimed to be the father of the baby.

In a court settlement Thursday, the Youngs agreed to give up their claim on the property, which has been held in the vault of a North Carolina courthouse. The Youngs also agreed not to talk publicly about the tape or the other items, which include photos of Hunter with the child and a list of names titled "The Slut Club." Hunter has long wanted the tapes destroyed.

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Andrew Young previously described the intimate tape in his tell-all book about how Edwards hid his mistress and child amid the 2008 White House campaign.

The settlement does not address a pending contempt of court case against the Youngs and two of their attorneys for providing copies of items that had been under seal to federal officials investigating Edwards for campaign finance violations.

Edwards was indicted on six felony and misdemeanor counts last year related to nearly $1 million provided by two wealthy donors used to help hide his mistress from the public. Edwards served a single term in the U.S. Senate before becoming the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in 2004.