It could very well be just rumor as far as I know. And, if nothing has been paid to Al by these people, then I have no problem with typical Xer explanation.
the $25K part has just been a rumor which hasn't been confirmed so far
Right, it is still a rumor. It came from a PalTalker who claimed one of the plaintiffs sent them a private message stating each of the plaintiffs paid Hodges 25k.