What to Know
As Joseph Duggar‘s case continues to move forward, his attorneys have ended up with a big win along the way. During a hearing in Bay City, Florida, a judge granted Joseph’s lawyers access to child abuse files that are typically kept confidential while also allowing them to depose anyone who was involved in the investigation that led to the charges against Joseph, including those who work with the Department of Children and Families.
A judge made the decision on Monday.
Though the former Counting On star didn’t appear in court himself, his lawyer, Albert Sauline, appeared via Zoom in his place. According to TMZ, the judge made a ruling that gives Joseph’s legal team access to confidential information tied to his case ahead of the trial, allowing them to read, copy, and examine material that prosecutors may use in their argument.
This also means that Joseph’s lawyer is able to depose witnesses who are associated with agencies who would have been part of the investigation. Along with DCF, that includes the Child Protection Team and the Children’s Advocacy Center.
This update comes two months after Joseph was arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a minor after he was accused of sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl during a family vacation to Florida in 2020.
He has also asked to have contact with his children again.
As one of the conditions of his release, Joseph is not allowed to have contact with any minors, including the four children he shares with wife Kendra Caldwell. Previously, Kendra was also barred from contacting their children because of separate child endangerment charges that she and Joseph were hit with after his initial arrest, but that order against Kendra has since been lifted.
Joseph has asked to have the no contact order involving his own children dropped. People reported that in court documents, he stated that the order is “creating a hardship for the family unit” and added that his alleged victim is “not a child of the Defendant.”
Joseph and Kendra’s kids include Garrett, 7, Addison, 6, Brooklyn, 5, and Justus, 3.
A pre-trial hearing has been set for July.
Joseph’s next hearing is set to take place on July 14 in Bay County, Florida, and a judge will decide if the no contact order will be dropped at that time. He was previously released from jail in Florida on a $600,000 bond and is back in his home state of Arkansas as he awaits trial. Not only is he barred from having contact with his children, but he is also unable to have unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18 as a condition of his release.
The following month, both he and Kendra are set to appear in an Arkansas court for the charges involving their children.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline provides confidential 24/7 support. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online at RAINN.
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