It’s been almost a month since Josh Duggar was convicted of possessing and receiving child pornography.
Over the course of the trial, the world learned a great deal about the inner workings of the Duggar family and the culture of abuse that enabled Josh to get away with so much for so long.
After the verdict was rendered, Jim Bob and company might have taken some solace in the fact that at least no more of their family secrets would be revealed in court.
However, it seems that will not be the case, as 2022 will find the family back in court for two more high-profile trials.
And one of those is once again making headlines this week, thanks to a rather unexpected development.
As you’re probably aware, when Josh was arrested April of 2021, but it was not the first time that he had been accused of preying in children.
Way back in 2015, the world learned that Josh had molested five young girls — four of whom were his sisters — while he was still in his teens and living with his parents.
Josh’s criminal trial shed new light on this situation, with former family friend Bobye Holt taking the stand to testify that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar reported their son’s crimes to the police only after they were pressured to do so years after the attacks took place.
This abuse was hidden from the public until 2015, when In Touch magazine obtained a copy of the criminal complaint against Josh.
In 2017, the Duggar women who were victimized by Josh filed a lawsuit — not against their attacker or the parents who allowed the abuse to take place, but against the local police department who released Josh’s files.
Now, a new report from UK tabloid The Sun has revealed some surprising news about the case.
“They’ve been allowed to proceed on their case against the police department and a couple of police officers,” a source told the outlet this week.
“That was supposed to go to trial the same week as Josh’s trial, but it got reset.”
Yes, it seems the trial — which was supposed to begin in January — has been delayed by several months.
According to The Sun, a pre-trial conference has been scheduled for April 11, 2022, while a “final” witness list must be submitted by April 4.
This means that the civil trial will not begin until late April, at the very earliest.
The cause of the delay is unclear, but many believe that it was the sisters’ legal team who requested the postponement,
There are two likely reasons for this:
For one thing, the outcome of Josh’s trial might have affected the strategy of the plaintiffs’ legal team.
“If there is a trial, the damages could be cut as a consequence of Josh’s conviction,” the insider noted.
On top of that, the Duggar sisters recently hired a new attorney.
A former Federal Public Attorney, Hilary Potashner bills herself as a tough advocate for victims’ rights.
“Having built her reputation as a skilled courtroom advocate, Hilary is being honored by the Los Angeles County Bar Association Criminal Justice Section as the 2020 Defense Attorney of the Year,” reads a bio on her website.
Those who have been watching the case closely believe Potashner requested more time to prepare, and this was granted by the court.
The other legal matter that will soon have the Duggars back in court is criminal in nature.
Fan favorite Jana Duggar was arrested on child endangerment charges last year, and she’ll soon to be forced to answer to a judge for her alleged negligence.
The Duggars insist that a child merely wandered off while Jana was caring for several kids at once, and they’re confident that the matter will be dismissed as soon as the judge hears Jana’s side of the story.
“Bottom line — it was an innocent mistake,” Jessa Duggar wrote while defending Jana in her Instagram Stories.
“She was babysitting and one of the kids slipped out the door unnoticed, but it ended safely. Could’ve happened to anyone,” Jessa continued.
“The media is sensationalizing this because of our current family circumstances and it makes me so mad.”
Sounds like it was an honest mistake.
But in terms of the Duggar family’s reputation, the timing couldn’t be much worse.
We’ll have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available
Source: Read Full Article
