The Duggar girls are still pursuing their lawsuit against the Arkansas police department and its employees who helped release documents revealing that their brother Josh had molested them as children, four years after they first filed it in court. Though the sisters— Jill Duggar Dillard, Jinger Duggar Vuolo, Jessa Duggar Seewald and Joy Duggar Forsyth— are now considering a settlement in the case, it appears that they will not seek to recoup the money they could have made had the scandal never been brought to light in 2015, and their family’s reality show, 19 Kids & Counting not been cancelled.
While the girls aren’t seeking lost wages, they are seeking enough money so that they can have a “life care plan” put together and get into therapy to recover from the emotional distress the scandal caused.
The Ashley can exclusive reveal that, during a Status Conference held back in April, one of the attorneys representing the Duggar girls stated that it was not even worth the trouble for the girls to seek lost wages, since they were paid so little for appearing on “19 Kids & Counting” and its spin-off Counting On.
(Jill’s husband Derick Dillard has stated in the past that the girls’ father Jim Bob Duggar was the only one who was really paid for appearing on the family’s shows. The Duggar girls’ lawyer’s statement seems to confirm that Jill, Jessa, Jinger and Joy were paid very little for appearing.)
“We are not seeking—we’re not going to seek any damages for lost wages, lost past earnings or lost future earnings,” the girls’ attorney, Steven Bledsoe told the judge during the 2021 Status Conference. “The categories of damages we’re going to seek—it’s basically all going to be based on the witnesses’ testimony.”
He stated that the Duggar girls just want to win enough in damages to pay for therapy.
“[We want] a life care plan involving the cost of therapeutic intervention in these four women’s lives over a period of time to address the emotional issues that are arisen from this nationwide disclosure since they’re public figures. And then the emotional distress-type damages and punitive damages,” he stated.
The judge, Timothy Brooks, (who is the same judge who presided over Josh’s recent trial for receiving and possessing child sex abuse materials) seemed to be surprised that the Duggar girls were not planning to ask for lost wages, despite “19 Kids & Counting” getting cancelled because of the release of the police report.
“But just to be sure I understand what you’re saying about damages, the [Duggar girls] were on a television program that ultimately was cancelled and at least there was a temporal relationship to the cancelling of the programming with the disclosures that were made [in that police report],” Judge Brooks says, again wanting to clarify that the girls aren’t going to seek out lost wages.
“Do I hear you saying that the Plaintiffs are not seeking any damages from any resulting economic impact the disclosure of this information on their TV careers, for lack of a better term?”
The girls’ attorney then confirmed, stating that the girls were paid very little for their work, and that most of the money earned from the shows went to “the family.”
“That is correct, Your Honor….Frankly, on the way the TV show was set up, the family got most of the money,” Attorney Bledsoe stated. “The girls were working, I don’t know what the numbers were, but for 15 or 20 dollars an hour. That aspect of the case would take more trouble to try, cost more in experts than we think makes sense because we think that the guts of the case is the emotional damages and costs to these girls.”
On Friday, The Sun reported that Jill, Jessa, Jinger and Joy have agreed to a settlement conference next month. Should nothing be settled at that conference, the girls’ trial will begin as scheduled in April.
(Photos: Instagram; TLC)
35 Responses
Why is everyone not asking questions of discovery on why they think it’s ok to pay JimBob but not pay the kids? I would have told them to stick it! That’s sad that each child didn’t have a contract with discovery. I get the feeling the rolloffs did not give their kids and money either? I dunno but when there are 20 seasons of a show then all cast members should be well off
I hope Jim Bob doesn’t touch a penny of what they get.
I also feel like he supports this lawsuit as a way to deflect blame. The government traumatized them, not Josh and the “parents.”
It’s gross. I want them to get money but wish Jim Bob had to fairly compensate for their years of work. Imagine if old JB had to release his financial records! And I wish he would be held accountable for endangering his children.
First you need therapy because your brother abused you and your parents covered that up, then for the public disclosure of that. Josh and your parents are to blame for your traumas, not the police. And what a load of crap asking money for therapy when the cult they live in (aside from Jill who actually is in therapy) doesn’t believe in that.
I’m starting to really dislike them
JIM BOB IS DISGUSTING!!! HE IS NO FATHER!!!
What a load of crap. The only one getting therapy is Jill, and it is not for “the info being made public.” In Jinger’s book the only mention of her CSA by her own brother was how she was upset it was made public, not the actual abuse! These women Should be suing their parents and brother instead. They Should be speaking up for other CSA survivors. Let’s be real, if this was not made public this evil Jim Bob show would have continued under false pretenses and that is a bad thing! All that said I don’t blame them for trying to get a payday out of it but their lack of naming the real villains here is infuriating.
If you’ve ever been sexually assaulted, you would realize what a ‘load of crap,’ your comment is. Not all SA survivors want to speak up about what happened to them, especially ones who were assaulted as CHILDREN. These girls were born into a cult that manipulates women from the day they are born. If they wanted a pay check, they would of sued for lost wages as well. Despite how all of this came to light, remember these were children who were molested and they don’t owe you and or anyone, anything. They don’t have to speak up if they don’t want too.
Both their parents failed them in so many ways.
These girls would each be millionaires at this point, from sacrificing their childhood to film. Jana has been on tv since she was 13 years old. But Jim Bob needed that money /s
And their Mom just kept popping out babies for the girls to raise.
After their brother SA them, instead of getting him help, and moving him out, and getting them therapy. They just told them to stop coming down to breakfast in their pjs and lock the door when they sleep, telling them they are the problem.
The state failed them, but Jim Bob and Michelle failed them even more.
Absolutely correct!
Imagine having to sue the State you live in, just to get money for therapy. Jim Bob is a piece of crap. First, he doesn’t protect his daughters from a molester. Second, he parades them on tv without even paying them. What a father..
As someone who was also molested as a child i can completely understand them needing therapy because their records we released. That is a victims right to share their personal private things that happened to them. The police had no right to release that information to the press or public. Until you walk in someones shoes you might stop take a breath and think about what they are going through. I also agree their dad is awful to defend his son at trial and say he didnt remember what happened regarding his girls. That is total bs and someome needs to look inside that family home and see whats really going on in there.
The word is PAID, not ‘payed.’
I have no doubt that these ladies definitely need some therapy, but I have an issue with their argument that they need therapy “because of the release of these records”. Uhhh, you need therapy because people *know* you were sexually abused, but what about the ACTUAL abuse? You don’t need therapy for that?!
Yes, public humiliation is a real thing and yes, it only amplifies the act…but COME ON. JB needs to pay for therapy, too (real therapy, not their church therapy). Without the acts committed against them by Josh, there would be no report, no release of information, and no public humiliation. Let’s look to the root of the problem here.
I can see why they would need therapy because of records being released. They were children when it happened and they had years to bury it and not think about it. Now that it’s been released they have to relive it all the time and as adults have a greater understanding of what happened and EVERYONE knows about it. That’s gotta be traumatizing. A lot more information should have been redacted from those records to protect their identity. Jim Bob also should have done so much more for them too, and he’s never going to pay for real therapy outside of a church. They were failed at several turns.
If they make the police department pay wages for what they would have done that would have put a target on Jim Bob to reimburse them for what they DID do. And Jim Bob isn’t about to pay a lawyer for that.
How about suing Jim Boob for allowing Josh to get to them then protecting him instead of protecting the victims in the home?
Sadly I think these daughters are just now seeing how horrible their upbringing was. It took most of them to move out and experience some sort life to see things differently. Now they have to very publicly live with the incidents of abuse, the trial, and all the aftermath to come.
Maybe in a few years with therapy they can all heal enough to put blame where it needs be. But we don’t know what they all could be dealing with and frankly, it isn’t the public’s business.
But it will be because of Jim Bob Duggar.