Federal judge wants to hear Duggar girls' lawsuit in the fall
A judge wants to hear this fall the remaining claims in a federal lawsuit brought by the Duggar daughters over the release to the media of police reports of alleged sexual abuse at the hands of their brother.
Four daughters of the Jim Bob Duggar family sued Springdale and Washington County officials in May 2017 claiming they improperly released redacted police investigation documents to a celebrity magazine, In Touch. The magazine published the information, which allowed the girls to be identified, the suit said.
The police investigation concluded Josh Duggar fondled the sisters and at least one other girl. The statute of limitation had run out and no criminal charges were filed.
The daughters are Jill Dillard, Jessa Seewald, Jinger Vuolo and Joy Duggar.
The sisters' lawsuit claims their due process rights under the Arkansas Constitution and the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution were violated by disclosing the reports and details of the investigation to the magazine. The lawsuit alleges publicizing their trauma subjected the women and their families "to extreme mental anguish and emotional distress."
The case is set for Sept. 20 in Fayetteville.