Several members of the Duggar family, stars of TLC’s Counting On and 19 Kids and Counting, have sued an Arkansas city and county that released confidential details to a tabloid about their brother allegedly committing sexual abuse. The court recently ruled the lawsuit can officially proceed.
The Duggars were first introduced to viewers on 19 Kids and Counting, starring Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar and their 19 children, 10 boys and nine girls, including Joshua, twins Jana and John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, twins Jedidiah and Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn-Grace, and Josie. What was at first a reality show documenting the lives of a devout Baptist family quickly turned dark when one of the sons, Josh, was accused of sexually abusing several of his sisters and a family friend when they were younger. Following the accusations, made public by the tabloid InTouch Weekly, the family’s TV series was canceled in 2015; it was later replaced by Counting On, a pared-down spinoff only focusing on Jess and Jill’s new families. Now, members of the Duggar family are suing an Arkansas city and county that released the details to the tabloid.
According to USA Today, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, and Joy are suing the city of Springdale and Washington County, Arkansas, for releasing private identifying information about them regarding Josh’s alleged abuse to InTouch Weekly, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. The state’s Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Duggars’ lawsuit can proceed against the Arkansas city and county after it decided that the family members had an expectation of privacy when Springdale and Washington County initially investigated their allegations. Officials decided to appeal the lawsuit when a lower court refused to dismiss them from it.
The original InTouch Weekly story included the initial police report, detailing the allegations against Josh, which included seven acts of sexual molestation when he was 15 years old against his sisters and a family friend. The victims were as young as 5 years old. Subsequent police reports showed that Josh’s father Jim didn’t report the sexual abuse to the authorities for more than a year afterwards.
While Josh has publicly apologized for the crimes he committed against his sisters, and they’ve said they’ve forgiven him, they are obviously still working on rebuilding trust with him, along with the rest of the family. Meanwhile, Josh has all but disappeared from the public eye. This lawsuit is another addition to an already heartbreaking and stressful situation for the family, and hopefully they’ll be able to resolve things quickly in order to try to move forward.
Next: 19 Kids and Counting: Grandma Duggar’s Unexpected Death
Source: USA Today, InTouch Weekly
