Josh Duggar.
Summary: Josh Duggar lost his lawsuit against In Touch Magazine.
Accused child molester Josh Duggar lost his lawsuit against In Touch. The reality star sued the magazine and its owner after it had published his family secret, but a judge in Alabama dismissed the case, saying that the First Amendment protected the defendant.
“This Court believes it cannot permit [In Touch’s publisher Bauer Media] to be held liable for their conduct here without defying binding Supreme Court precedent,” Alabama District Judge Tim Brooks stated, according to Radar Online.
In 2015, In Touch revealed that Josh Duggar had been accused of molesting his four sisters in 2002 and 2003. At the time, the five were minors; and police had agreed to seal the case. However, the police report was obtained by In Touch, who broke the story.
According to the shocking police report, the 19 Kids and Counting star had allegedly fondled his sisters’ breasts and touched their private parts. Josh has apologized for his actions, and he claimed that his parents had sent him to therapy to overcome his urges.
“I hurt others, including my family and close friends. I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation,” Josh said.‘We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road, that I would end up ruining my life.”
Josh Duggar, now 29, is married to Anna Duggar; and they have five children. This summer, Duggar sued In Touch and the police in his town, saying that the crime had occurred when he was a teenager and that it should’ve never been exposed. His victims also filed a lawsuit for the same reason, but they refused to allow their brother to participate in their case, fearing it would make it appear that they had forgiven or excused him.
On Thursday, Judge Brooks said that In Touch was protected by the First Amendment because the story was true. He said that regardless whether or not the police had made a mistake in revealing the girls’ identities when sharing the crime; In Touch was not liable for the failure of the police or city to uphold the law.
After In Touch had printed the story, the Duggar family, who starred on TLC’s hit show 19 Kids and Counting, were mired in scandal, especially because they had presented an image of religious wholesomeness. TLC promptly canceled their television show, and Jill Dillard, Jessa Seewald, Jinger Vuolo, and Joy-Anna Duggar said that they felt victimized against when it was revealed publicly that Josh Duggar had molested them.
TLC later retooled 19 Kids and Counting to only focus on the girls and not include Josh. Their show Counting On is currently on air.
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