Josh Duggar jail update: Criminal investigation possible following porn star accusations

The latest Josh Duggar jail update focuses on the likelihood of the current civil lawsuit against Josh Duggar in Pennsylvania leading to criminal charges. According to several sources–as well as known legal experts–a criminal indictment is a possibility, depending on several factors related to porn star Danica Dillon’s allegations.

According to a recent Josh Duggar jail update, there is precedent for civil charges like Josh’s to become criminal, given the steady interest in the nature of Josh’s alleged crimes. Bill Cosby is another public figure who was accused of sexual misconduct for years–and by dozens of women–before outcry (and a series of civil suits) led to a renewed investigation of the handful of allegations in states where the statute of limitations hadn’t expired. Those investigations led to criminal charges being filed against Cosby last week in Pennsylvania, based on the claims made by Andrea Constand, who says that Cosby assaulted her at his Philadelphia home in 2004.

In Josh Duggar’s case, the claims come from one woman, but are generally similar in that they deal with nonconsensual sexual activity. Porn star Danica Dillon’s $500,000 lawsuit accuses Josh of agreeing to pay her for sex, and then, when the pair met, of “manhandling” her and “physically assaulting her to the point of physical and emotional pain.” In addition, Dillon says that Josh Duggar choked her; did not use a condom; and reneged on his promised $1,500 payment.

Danica Dillon’s Josh Duggar lawsuit says that, overall, Dillon “felt as if she were being raped” by Josh.

Dillon filed suit in Pennsylvania because it’s where she says the incidents with Josh Duggar took place. Shortly before Christmas, though, Duggar family attorneys filed a motion to move the suit into U.S. federal court, as neither Josh nor Danica live in the state. The first legal action in the Josh Duggar lawsuit will take place on January 21st; that’s when a Pennsylvania judge has ordered both parties to court for pretrial arguments, and it’s believed that the Duggar family motion will be considered then. What isn’t yet known is whether Josh Duggar himself will show–or, indeed, if he’ll be out of sex addiction therapy. (A recent Inquisitr report revealed that Josh Duggar’s rehabilitation center suggests its patients stay for six months, meaning Josh has two months left.)

Though at least one report claims that the family intends to simply pay Dillon $500,000 in order to withdraw the Josh Duggar lawsuit, most aren’t so sure that an arrangement can be reached. The Duggars are said to be “terrified” by the lawsuit and its broader implications–among them the chance that Josh could be charged with soliciting prostitution.

Philadelphia criminal defense attorney Lloyd Long III recently told In Touch magazine “anything that [Josh Duggar] says in a deposition” for the Danica Dillon lawsuit can later be used against him, should prosecutors determine that his words provide sufficient merit for a criminal case.

In addition to the possibility of prostitution charges, Long said that the most likely charges against Josh would be misdemeanor simple assault (which carries a maximum two-year sentence) or the more serious felony of aggravated assault–the sentence for which can be ten to twenty years in prison.

Given that the Duggar family has already lost an estimated $25 million in future earnings because of the ongoing Josh Duggar scandals, it’s no wonder that they’re said to be worried about the current Josh Duggar jail update. “[The family is] afraid Josh going to jail would leave an indelible stain on the family name,” said a source. If that were to happen, the concern is “that they, too, would be punished for years because of what he did.”

 

(Photo credits: Josh Duggar jail update via Instagram)