Just when things appeared to be shifting from bad to great for the "19 Kids and Counting" family, another problem related to Josh Duggar's scandal arose in the form of a civil lawsuit filed against him as well as the possible involvement of his clan and all the church leaders in the know of the molestation charges, according to In Touch.
The TLC star is reportedly being sued by one of his victims, a non-family member. Apart from the potential repercussions of this development to the Duggar family, the "19 Kids and Counting" show and Josh himself, the lawsuit will also rope in personalities outside the clan as even the heads of the religious community who may have known of the charges will be named. "All the church elders who knew about this will have to be named," reveals an unnamed source to the magazine.
"I have heard a [nonfamily] victim is preparing to sue," the informant was quoted as saying, according to Hollywood Life. The source added, "This whole sordid affair with Josh rattled a lot of people, including the victim, who has to relive this nightmare all over again after watching Josh's parents go on TV and whitewash what happened."
The source went on to say, "It's not uncommon for a victim to come forward years after the abuse has taken place." The insider added, "She may have repressed it or processed it in her own way, but Josh's public admission that he did something wrong - and how Jim Bob and Michelle handled everything on TV - surely had to affect her."
It could be recalled that Josh, 27, confessed earlier this year to the allegations of molestations he committed as a teenager to at least five underage girls, including two of his sisters, Jill Dillard and Jessa Seewald. In fact, these accusations were later on confirmed to be true by Josh himself in a statement released to People Magazine. "Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret," he disclosed in the statement. He added, "I hurt others, including my family and close friends."
While his words served as definitive proof of the veracity of the sexual molestation claims, Josh never faced jail time or even a legal proceeding. Earlier reports explained that pursuing any lawsuit in connection with these charges will be futile as the victims are now barred by the law courtesy of the statute of limitations.
With the recent turn of events, however, such may no longer be the case as legal experts, according to In Touch, pointed out that the victims "still has the right to sue under Arkansas Code Annotated Section 16-56-130, which allows for a civil action when a sexual abuse victim start to experience the effects of the abuse years later."
Meanwhile, Hollywood Life revealed that Josh is receiving support and love from his family and close friends who chose to stand by him during this period. The source said, "He is getting through this with the help of friends and family, but killing himself has never crossed his mind. He sure as hell is feeling the pressure of the situation but physical harm is not the end game."
