Josh Duggar is back in the news, folks.
And, unfortunately for the disgraced reality star, so is his molestation scandal.
As you must know by now, Duggar admitted in 2015 to having inappropriately touched multiple girls back when he was a teenager.
Among Josh’s victims were two of his sisters.
All this time later — despite Josh no longer appearing on television and despite most gossip followers thankfully never having to hear from him often at all — Josh is still waging a legal battle in response to this scandal.
How so? Let’s find out…
On Wednesday, the Arkansas Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s decision that dismissed most of a lawsuit Duggar filed against city and county officials just over two years ago.
This lawsuit challenged the release of police records related to the aforementioned molestation of his sisters when they were mere juveniles.
In July 2017, Josh’s lawyers filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court, claiming Duggar’s right to due process was violated and his privacy was invaded because these records were made public.
Duggar has been seeking $75,000 in damages, legal fees and a jury trial through this filing.
But it now sounds very unlikely that he’ll get any of it.
Police investigated allegations of sexual abuse against Josh Duggar in 2006, related to incidents in 2002-03, but did not file charges.
In his lawsuit, Duggar has claimed officials released documents to In Touch Weekly after the tabloid filed a state Freedom of Information Act request about a decade later.
In 2018, however, a judge dismissed Josh’s assertions.
And now an appeals court has upheld this dismissal.
The court concluded that a state law Duggar cited actually did not prohibit release of the papers because he wasn’t a juvenile at the time the molestation investigation was conducted in December 2006, according to The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Sadly, Duggar was never charged after an anonymous tip spurred an investigation into his alleged fondling of five girls in 2002 and 2003.
He later acknowledged wrongdoing in a statement after news reports were published in 2015.
Jim Bob Duggar, Michelle Duggar and two of Josh’s siblings later confirmed the molestation.
To be clear: It did happen. Over that, there is no debate.
TLC canceled 19 Kids and Counting in response to the controversy.
Josh also apologized and resigned from his job at the Family Research Council in Washington, one of the leading conservative groups fighting abortion and gay marriage, among other causes.
“Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret,” Josh told People back in 2015, adding:
“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 also admitted in this statement that his parents helped cover up his crimes.
“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,” Duggar said about five years ago.
“I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life,” added Josh, who did not elaborate on what the road entailed.
It’s also worth noting that Josh was a client of adultery website Ashley Madison and has also confessed to cheating on wife Anna.
Dude claimed he had a porn addiction after this news came out and then went to some random rehab clinic because he was “unfaithful,” per Josh himself, who of course also apologized for these actions in 2015.
“I am so ashamed of the double life that I have been living and am grieved for the hurt, pain and disgrace my sin has caused my wife and family,” he said.
“And, most of all, Jesus and all those who profess faith in Him.”
