A U.S. District judge has dismissed the 2017 Invasion of Privacy lawsuit filed by former 19 Kids And Counting stars Jill, Dillard, Jessa, Seewald, Jinger Vuolo and Joy-Anna Duggar. In May 2017, Jill and her siblings filed a lawsuit against Springdale and Washington County officials. The officials they filed the lawsuit against included Maj. Rick Hoyt of the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Springdale city attorney Ernest Cate and former Police Chief Kathy O'Kelley. The sisters claimed that officials revealed expurgated investigation files to a news publication that published those documents and disclosed their identities.
The alleged documents were part of an investigation into their brother Josh Duggar's sexual abuse case. According to reports, Josh molested the Plaintiffs who were between the ages of 5 and 11 at the time of the abuse. The abuse started when Josh was 14 and ended when he was 15 years old. Their parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, discovered the abuse but did not report it to the police or state agency. Instead, they handled the matter privately. However, news of the abuse eventually leaked and spread among the family's church .
As word spread, officials were notified about claims that Josh had sexually abused his sisters. When state police ed the Duggar family, they got the sisters' testimonies on the grounds that their statements would remain confidential. However, the information later came out to the public, and the sisters sued the investigative body for disclosing it. However, five years after Jill, Dillard, Jessa, Seewald, Jinger Vuolo and Joy-Anna's invasion lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks dismissed it on the grounds that it lacked proof. According to People, the judge ruled that the Plaintiffs "have not presented any direct proof or reasonable inference" to defend their claims that authorities revealed confidential information about them.
According to local news channels, the judge's ruling came hours after their sisters' settlement conference was canceled. When the Duggar sisters first testified to Josh's abuse case, no criminal charges were brought against him. However, Josh was later found guilty on two counts of intentionally receiving and possessing child pornography, also known as child sexual abuse material. Josh faces up to 20 years of imprisonment and up to $250,000 in fines for each conviction.
The judge making it clear in his ruling that 19 Kids And Counting sisters Jill, Dillard, Jessa, Seewald, Jinger Vuolo and Joy-Anna failed to provide evidence to back up their invasion lawsuit. Now one only wonders the next step the sisters will take. Meanwhile, their brother Josh's fate is already sealed. And the only uncertainty at this point is how many years he will spend in jail for his wrongful deeds.
Source: People