Duggar Family News: Josh Duggar Bares 'Severe Emotional Distress' Over Scandals
Josh Duggar, former star of "19 Kids and Counting," is joining his younger sisters Jill, Jessa, Jinger and Joy-Anna in filing a lawsuit against InTouch Weekly and the police for publishing reports of his child molestation raps that he said caused him "severe emotional distress."
Josh allegedly molested four of his sisters and an unnamed young woman when he was just a teenager, but the family purportedly kept it a secret until 2015, when InTouch ran an article about it. As a result, the family lost their reality show and Josh was heavily lambasted by the public.
Last month, Josh's sisters filed a breach of privacy lawsuit seeking damages against the magazine and Arkansas law enforcement for the release of the report, which was reportedly obtained using a Freedom of Information Act request.
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On June 2, Josh filed a motion to formally join the lawsuit, reported the Huffington Post. Aside from the "severe emotional distress" he experienced because of the report, he also cited "embarrassment, humiliation and economic harm both to his personal and professional reputations."
"The released reports ... will continue to haunt him and cause him financial and emotional injury for the rest of his life," he wrote in his motion.
That was not the only scandal that rocked Josh's world that year. In August, hackers revealed that he had two paid accounts in the cheating website Ashley Madison. Josh was forced to confess about his infidelity to his wife, Anna, and he subsequently entered into the faith-based rehab facility Reformers Unanimous.
Many people urged Anna to divorce Josh because of the scandal, but she remained faithful to him. She even issued a statement with him through the family website: "It is a long road to rebuild trust and a truly healthy relationship. We are very thankful for God's forgiveness, grace and help, as it is our strength and guide to rebuilding our lives. As the future unfolds, we are taking one day at a time and we are grateful for your continued prayers for both of us and our sweet children."
Now, Josh and Anna are happily awaiting the birth of their fifth baby — a boy.
