Wednesday, September 27, 2017

1st Hearing For Duggar Lawsuit Begins in AR


In May, we shared that four Duggar women (Jill Dillard, Jessa Seewald, Jinger Vuolo, and Joy Duggar--now Joy Forsyth) had filed a lawsuit against multiple defendants for the release of information that led to the global identification and exploitation of the girls as victims of child abuse. Minors at the time, the four Duggars are calling the action unlawful, as they claim to have been promised that the information would only be available to certain government officials.

According to NWA Homepage, the first hearing for the case took place in Springdale on Monday, September 25th.

The four Duggar women have stated that the sole purpose of the lawsuit is to fight for the protection of juvenile victims of child abuse.


Photo courtesy duggarfamily.com

159 comments:

  1. I will be praying for you ladies. I'm behind you 100%...Jane

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  2. I'm not going to comment on the lawsuit, but I want to say this whole situation makes me incredibly sad for the girls. I'm not convinced that more secrecy will benefit victims in the long term. It sets a scary precedent for keeping cases of child abuse under the rug, and protecting abusers.

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    1. The secrecy should be about the victims' names/identities, not the abuser's.

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    2. I think the opposite is true - victims may not report crimes because they fear that their privacy will be violated. In this particular case, the daughters were assured that this a safe place to give their statement. In initiating this lawsuit, they are hoping to make sure that no other children are betrayed the way that were - even if the betrayal took place after some of them had become adults.

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    3. Keep in mind abusers could be violent and yes it benefit. However, in the Duggars, they were public family and privacy should have been protected and promised and it wasn't.

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    4. I get what you are saying, but the timing and location of that should be up to the victim and now aired out in a tabloid. It's even further degrading to them.

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    5. I think just the opposite. My daughter was a victim of sexual abuse and never would have come forward knowing her name could one day be released without her consent. The abuser, by all means, should not be kept quiet. But the victims should be protected at all costs!

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    6. They are talking about the names being released to the public. I worked with child victims and releasing the names is devastating to these children. With the Duggars, they case was done and over with and then they had to relive everything that they believed was in their past because someone else had an evil agenda.This lawsuit is not about Josh at all it is about them as victims. I hope they win

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    7. It isn't about sweeping child abuse under the rug. It is about helping children feel safe when they talk to adults about it, instead of fearing that their experiences will be publicized without their consent. How many children have seen what happened to this family as a result of their confiding what happened, and how many decided not to come forward and tell the truth for fear that everyone will gossip about it the same way?

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    8. I disagree. This is not a precedent for keeping child abuse cases under the rug but instead protection of those children who are abused from getting their names released and preventing them from having to relive their abuse.

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    9. As a survivor, I CERTAINLY want to control WHO I choose to share the information with or not. The people prosecuting and investigating the crimes, yes. The WORLD, no.

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    10. Why exactly should Christians not sue. It people thought that was the case they would victimize them.

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    11. It's about victims rights. Not the publics appetite for sensationalism, the public doesn't have standing.

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    12. More secrecy? Health care professionals have never advised parents to go to social, print and screen media when child-to-child molestation occurs. The general public does NOT need to know. If they did, public schools would have a page on their website solely for the purpose of reporting when child-to-child molestation occurs.

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  3. I will be praying for this case. Even though I don't believe Christian should sue, I hope in some good will come out of this. I won't be reading this page again as I know there will be a lot of gossip and downright lies so I will wait for the next topic to be posted.

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    1. I've been taught that the Bible says Christians shouldn't sue one another, not that they shouldn't sue non-believers (although if it can be avoided, it probably should be, for the sake of their testimony).

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    2. Actually, they can, if the other party being sued aren't Christians and if it can't be solved within the church. This seems like a rare and special case. I do agree that of it can be helped, Christians should not sue other Christians unless absolutely necessary.

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  4. I find this a bit confusing- how were they exploited, exactly? They voluntarily gave a Fox interview. They still have a TV show. Perhaps they should look at the situation from a different angle- by going public, they may actually encourage other victims of abuse to come forward, and help them understand that secrecy can breed feelings of shame for those who've been abused. If they should win this lawsuit, I hope they donate any monetary awards to causes that support other victims.

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    1. This interview was given after the people in the police dept gave out the juvenile Info! I hope they win!

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    2. They gave the interview AFTER their names were released by police officials who were supposed to protect them. One was the Chief or Sheriff and did it to get back at Jim Bob and Josh. Not right at all

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    3. They didn't give Fox the interview until after their names were released.

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    4. There never would have been an interview if the media hadn't gotten the information and put the girls names out for the public to know what happened to them. I don't think having your identity broadcast after abuse will help more victims come forward. It will most likely have the opposite effect unfortunately.

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    5. They were exploited because they were told as children that their secrets were safe with the law enforcement members they were speaking to. They gave the FOX interview after their rights had been violated. It doesn't matter that they still have a show. They did the right thing as children when they gave their statements to the police. The people who made this information public did it only to cause harm to the Duggar family.

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    6. Someone leaked the information about the abuse, it was supposed to be sealed to protect the girls because they were minors! They didn't do the interview until after!

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    7. They gave the interview after their personal info was exposed in violation of laws that protect minor victims is sexual abuse. Imagine the embarrassment and violation they felt after being assured their info would be kept private. If no one had exposed them they would be having to this.....it is not their job to donate money to charity for the damages they endured. Obviously you have never been violated.

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    8. They only gave the Fox interview AFTER the police report was leaked that identified them as victims of molestation. They wanted to make sure the true facts where given and to share their disappointment of these private details being exposed. The girls were very young at the time and their identities were supposed to be protected. Their TV show has nothing to do with this. Would we suggest that anyone who has a TV show is expected to give up all privacy especially horrible embarrassing things they couldn't control for years before they were ever on a TV show??

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    9. When kids are the victims of a minor age and are the victims their names or anything were not supposed to have been released. Not even Josh's name due to the fact they all were minors. When this was all brought to the scene it caused total embarrassment to the girls. Of course they did a interview after it all was released. The people that released that info had a vendetta against Jim Bob Dugger and thought by releasing this info would destroy his family. This caused not only the parents stress but also caused the girls mental stress plus embarrassment.

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    10. Sealed documents were released to the public and media, that's what they are suing about.

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    11. They are suing because the police department released their records, when they were juveniles. It's not about hiding what Josh did, it's because the police department clearly broke the law!

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    12. The Fox interview was after the court records and information was released. They felt by that time that they had to respond. If a case is made public after it was deemed confidential, I think it is certainly grounds for a lawsuit.

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    13. They were children when this occurred. The case was over and done with and they moved on. Years later someone released their names only to embarrass them. THAT IS ABUSE. I worked with children of abuse and it is awful. They do NOT want their names to get out. If they want people to know details or anything about it, they should have the right to do it on their own terms, not when the media wants to make a buck.

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    14. Victims of any type of abuse should have the power to reveal their story, or not, at their own discretion. Their story of what happened to them as children was unlawfully disclosed (yes, it is against the law in Arkansas to release records that identify victims) to celebrity gossip sites so they could make money off of these girls tragedy. It cost them their livelihood, their reputation and made them re-live everything that had happened to them.

      They did give an interview after their story was revealed, to tell their side of things. Theirs is the only voice in this that SHOULD have been telling that story. They did nothing wrong by speaking out. And the criminal choices made by those who released these records did cost the girls monetarily. I think whatever they choose to do with any money they are awarded is their decision and I don't think they should feel guilted by anyone about keeping or giving it away.

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    15. Because of the leak countess women have suffered. I am one of them because of the same abuse I suffered over 40 years ago that was buried in the past. Now I am suffering alone and working through forgiveness all over again. There is a reason for the laws. I know I will probably receive hateful comments. My parents have no idea and I wish to keep it that way. It would crush them. God has forgiven. My pain and hurt will take much longer to heal. I am praying for you precious ladies and I I understand.

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    16. They only gave the interview after the police report was leaked to the press.

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    17. I believe that their identities had already been made public before they did any interviews. That is against the law, which is the reason for the lawsuit.

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    18. Other victims won't open their mouths now since they know what happened to the Duggars. They trusted the officials that this would remain private. They were victimized twice. So how would this help other kids?

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    19. Only AFTER they were exploited did they give that interview!! If I was exploited Id go on Fox for the interview too to tell my side and thoughts on the matter as to be sure everyone knows exactly the truth. I don't think we can say how each victim would fare better either. Some do better keeping things private while others don't so I don't think they did anything wrong. Just a matter of opinion. I don't see any confusion in this at all

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    20. They only did the interview after they were exposed by the magazines.

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    21. They were exploited when InTouch magazine went public with what healthcare professionals advise to keep private. Children used to be secure in the knowledge the police report would be kept private. Now they know it won't be kept private. Child-to-child molestation hasn't decreased in recent years, what has decreased is children reporting it, because they know someone could use the Freedom Of Information Act to go public with that which they wish to keep private.

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  5. I'm glad they did the right thing!!! They need to fight for their own safety. I still don't understand why Anna decided to stay with her husband after what he did to her and his sisters? So sad!

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    1. She has children is why and further more he didn't hide from the situation and did get help. If he continued I think she would if needed to protect the kids

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    2. Anna knew about that when she married him. The thing she'd be divorcing him over would be his infidelity.

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  6. I hope the Duggar girls lose this case. They are old enought known the state has every right to put the girls names out. They are not kids anymore they are adults.

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    1. But they were victims as children. Victims should be protected, not put out there publicly. They've suffered enough.

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    2. However they were children at the time of the offence and that is where the legalities lie. Doesn't matter that they have now aged since then.

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    3. They were minors when it happened. And NO, the police officials had NO right to release their names. And it was done out of retribution

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    4. They WERE when it happened and maybe they had put it behind them until someone for whatever reason decided that the whole world needed to know and that just threw it back in their faces and brought back the horrible memories. I pray you or no one you love ever have to experience that kind of pain and horror

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    5. unless it has happened to you I don’t see how you have the right to say that. Victims of sexual crimes are suppose to be protected. If you were gang raped would you want the world to know?

      My prayers are with them

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    6. They were minors at the time and lawsuits are not over night processed. Their names should not be exposed at such a young age. Shame on you, would you want your kids known?

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    7. Besides, there is a law protecting minors they didn't look out of the best interest of safety concerns.

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    8. Abused children should be protected for life and only have to have it made public if they choose do make it public themselves.

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    9. Actually, no. The state has no right to disclose the names of any minor who is a victim of a crime. Even after the minor becomes an adult. It is very much illegal. The girls should, and will, win their case.

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    10. Since it happened when they were minors, it was illegal to publish. The person who released that was evil, and I hope she's put away where she deserves, that inTouch magazine pays a steep price, and that the money is donated to help other such victims.

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    11. No they were minors at the time and you cannot legally expose or identify the names of minors and this file was supposed to be redacted and sealed many years ago, but a liberal city official who was resigning that had a personal offense against Joshua Duggar illegally allowed it to be leaked. And even though the girls names were blacked out, enough other identifiable information was given to identify the family and the girls. This was malicious and done on purpose as a personal attack on this family. They deserve to win!!

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    12. Their names were redacted from the legally released reports. They were identified because there were only 5 girls in the family at the time and 4 were victims, so it was obvious that all the sisters but 1 were referenced in the report. The names were never given.

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    13. This happened when they were minors, not adults.

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    14. They are victims no matter their age. The records were to be sealed.what happened to them still hurts them. Have a heart.

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    15. So if your child was abused as a minor, you wouldn't mind the entire world knowing that just because when it came out your child was over 18? You'd be ok with your child being embarrassed like that at any age? Theres a reason why testimony among minors is supposed to be protected.

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    16. Are you kidding. They were victims as children. It was over and done with until some reporter wanted to make a buck. Just because you reach the age of 18 does not give someone the right to violate the law

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    17. That is NOT how it works. Records containing juveniles are permanently sealed...as in forever. They have a legal right for those records to be sealed and that right was violated.

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    18. They were children when they were abused.

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    19. It is against the law.......period.

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    20. Releasing the victims names now being adults is much worse. I can only imagine how they must of felt...Jane

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    21. The state did not have the right to release information on who they were as they were all minors at the time of the incident. On top of which even if the person is an adult the public is not entitled to know their names. Without prior permission from the "victim" the names cannot be revealed. This is why in that case from a few years ago about the girl raped at a college behind a dumpster we are never told who the victim was only the name of the man who raped her was revealed.

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    22. Joy Anna was a minor when her name was released

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    23. Nope!

      They were minors at the time of the crime, their names hould have NEVER been released!
      That's how it is done in many jurisdictions.
      Those named in the lawsuit outed previously anonymous victims.

      They only confirmed it on TV after their names had been released. If you hope the Duggar girls lose, you also hope that many other abuse victims are further stigmatized and prevented from coming forward.

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    24. victims still have a right to be unknown

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    25. Joy Anna's name was not released. None of the victims' names were released.

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    26. You don't have to know the names to figure out who they were. Let's did up your family dirt...every family has some and expose it in a tabloid and see how you feel then. These women have a right to be compensated...the whole family does. The release of this info had deep and far reaching implications for the entire family. They were victimized again when the rag mag splashed their info world wide. No matter what you think of the Duggars or their shows, what happened was just plain wrong!

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    27. What a horrible thing to say. Even if you don't like the family, why would anyone ever think it is ok to identify a victim of abuse? If the state law says it is ok to release the names or identifying descriptions, then they should have been told that at the time. There are MANY children AND adults who will now be very concerned about coming forward because they want privacy and now they know that does not always happen.

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    28. So you would be fine with the whole world knowing if this happened to you, just because you turned 18? Sick.

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    29. You are ignorant...smh

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  7. Thank you for standing up for the rights of victims. Haven't they suffered enough?

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  8. Many blessing to you all through this Journey. You girls shouldn't of had to even go through this with these Government officials. What a mess.... Hugs to you all....

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  9. Good luck ladies...thank you for taking a stand to protect all children from malicious international people...I am so sorry this happened to you guys...I pray that God will guide you along your way...

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    1. Malicious international people? Huh?

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    2. What in the world are you talking about, Lynn?!?!?

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  10. Good luck ladies...thank you for taking a stand to protect all children from malicious intentional people...I am so sorry this happened to you guys...I pray that God will guide you along your way...

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  11. Best of luck to you all!

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  12. I love your family, and I would one day love to meet you all

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  13. Bravo!All kiddos should be protected. Hope you young ladies help to set the bar in AR about protecting the integrity and empowerment of our youth.

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    1. And hopefully they let the victims come out when they are ready or if they want to stay quiet

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  14. I'm glad to see you're fighting for a great cause. Juvenile victims of any abuse should be protected from this kind of thing. Exploitation of minors for someone's sick pleasure is appalling. I've always loved watching the Duggar family and to now hear that the girls are taking a stand for juvenile victims is awesome. I hope the Duggar women win.

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    1. All support and hope more than a win. Be great if they make a foundation in their names to support their cause.

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    2. I agree. Exploiting children is wrong!! But the Duggar parents exploited all thier kids by having a show!!

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  15. This is a good lawsuit. Even though Jill and Jessa both said in their interview that they didn't feel abused at the time, because Josh touched them while they were sleeping and without their knowledge, this is still an important lawsuit. It is necessary to protect child victims of child abuse or sexual abuse from any media exposure and harassment. What happened in the Duggar case was an extraordinary example of media interfering with the right of a child to privacy.

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  16. The shame of public exposure is what keeps victims silent. Exposure keeps those of us who are victims from coming forward and reporting the abuse. Newspapers and anyone else should not be able to make a profit off of another person's pain. I will be praying that this will be a lawsuit that will affect every single victim in this country, giving them protection from their abusers as well as protection from their situation being exploited by anyone.

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    1. I will pray in agreement with you.

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    2. As a victim myself, I disagree. In my case and the case of other victims I've come to know, many of us don't report it because we know full well that our parents will minimize the abuse to protect their own image and community standing. It'd been communicated very well to us that how others perceived our family was far more important than what was actually happening to us. We were simply one piece of a unit. Image was everything, from the Pastor's daughter on down. When your parents are the ones that others come to for parenting advice and they're the ones teaching others how to raise/instruct/correct/discipline (leading by example of course), the victims don't stand a chance. They'll be guilted (overly aware of the family image), manipulated (he didn't mean anything by that, it wasn't really what you think it was, it wasn't that big of a deal, etc.), and pressured (If you don't forgive him, God won't forgive you; When we forgive, we have to restore fellowship-act as if the thing never happened) to maintain the family image. The family image is everything. That's been my experience and that of many others like me from all walks of life.

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    3. Biblically you are not required to forgive (regardless of what you've been taught) unless the offender has repented. If you do, you may be sinning yourself because you are condoning it. Read Luke 17 and Matthew 18 in the kjv VERY CAREFULLY. You will see the phrase: If he repents.

      If we forgive an unrepentant abuser, this gives the impression that God forgives us without repentance, and that is not the case. BTW the Biblical definition of repentance is "to have a change of mind" God bless.

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  17. More power to them!!

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  18. The is the best thing i have heard in a long time. Hope all works out for you. They had no business doing this to you ladies. Wishing you the best of luck.

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  19. Good for you girls. Hope you win this!

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  20. The girls are right what there doing , you have support all over hope justice is don for what they are all growing there

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    1. Sorry, but I support the police department and the FOIA.

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    2. You only support the police because it wasn't your family. Something tells me you would feel different if it was your daughter, granddaughter or sister. Shame on the police and shame on you!

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    3. The woman who released the records should be in jail, and everyone who was involved should be held responsible.

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    4. There are exceptions to FOIA, one of them being information protected from disclosure by statute.

      Also, Arkansas Freedom of Information laws state "Records of the arrest of a juvenile, the detention of a juvenile shall be confidential and shall not be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act."

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  21. I hope u get the outcome ur seeking.

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  22. Way to go Girls! Inspire other people to do the same! God Bless...

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  23. I pray that you will win your lawsuit. Was a terrible thing to have happened to you.

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  24. Praying for you girls. Good luck. God is with you.

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  25. Praying for you girls. Good luck. God is with you.

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  26. Praying for a good outcome. You are fighting for us all!! Thank you!

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  27. I think it is a great thing you are doing.I feel this was done as a revenge tattic in the first place.I will pray for good results on this journey.I love your family and your strength and faith in God.Love and blessings to each of you

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  28. Unless Arkansas has different laws, once those juveniles are of age, that information is no longer protected.

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    1. You are misinformed. Juvenile records even of criminals are protected regardless of what age the person attains.

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    2. Josh was not charged, tried, or convicted of a crime. He was never a "juvenile criminal."

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  29. The confusion for me is that the local authorities who released the reports said they "had no choice under FOIA (Freedom if information Act), or they would face legal action". They also consulted their legal department and again, were told " they had no choice", release the records or "face legal consequences". I get that they also redacted info as required by law. But, I want to know this: Couldn't they have redacted more so the girls identities wouldnt be revealed? Did local authorities lie about having no choice but to release the info? What, if anything can be done to prevent this being done to others? Do FOIA laws need tweaked?

    As for Josh: The way I understand it, Josh's report was legally released because he was not held criminally liable. In other words, had Josh been held accountable by the law, his record would've been a criminal record, thus, sealed forever since he was a juvenile. His was actually not a criminal report so it was allowed to be released. Jimbob and Michelle should've let him " face the music" and no one would've ever known. Hopefully what happened will be closely looked at to make sure this does not prevent other victims from coming forward!

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  30. Personally, I think this is a good thing. Victims have the right to choose if they have their name released publicly or not. It's not fair that some media company makes that decision for them for profit. Yes, these girls gave interviews but that was after they were identified. As a victim of abuse myself, I wouldn't want my name all over the media.
    These poor girls had obviously dealt with it, moved passed it and had forgiven Josh to a point they would work on their relationship with him. All this media circus did was bring it all up and throw it in their faces again.
    I don't agree with what he did, yes it makes me sick. Yes, they choose to be on TV, to be a public figure. BUT, they are human and they have the right to privacy. Every one does. Just because they are on TV does not mean that they have to share every single detail of their lives with people. We only have the right to know what they choose to share. Their lives, their choice. They have a right to privacy we all do.

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  31. They did the interview ONLY AFTER they had already been thrown under the bus by the Sheriff in their county by releasing their names when they were advised their names wouldn't be released. All of the girls were minors when the incidents occurred. When you are a victim of ANY type of crime against you, you should be awarded some level of privacy REGARDLESS of who you are & ESPECIALLY if you are or were a child when you were victimized .

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    1. Their names were not released.

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    2. No, but they released their ages, which was just as good as releasing their names, since we all know which girls it was. Also still illegal.

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    3. Not illegal, hence the civil suit. Furthermore, I am more concerned about the actual sexual abuse, which was never dealt with.

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  32. Good! Someone was trying to take advantage of their fame and get a story picked up for the media. I hope they win the case!

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  33. Good luck ladies hope you win

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  34. Their point I believe is at the time they were children and their parents were told that their names were safe within law and then because they are famous it's okay to reveal their names that's not right regardless if it was their brother or a stranger it is not right to reveal the names of the victims regardless who you are. And I believe that these Duggar Ladies are trying to prevent this from happening again.... Yes Josh was wrong o my but at the time he was a child also, I don't agree with him doing what he did later to Anna but that's between him and his wife and God no one else! He has to live with that, we all have problems within our own families to judge others....

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  35. I used to think "Why are they suing?" and that they shouldn't sue BUT have changed my mind based on the fact that other victims may not want to come forward fearing their name may eventually be made public. If this will help protect other victims I'm all for it. However, I still think they should donate any money they receive....perh
    aps to a women's shelter.

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    1. Their entire family was financially damaged by the release of this info....they deserve compensation.

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  36. I am praying you girls win and sue them for all their worth. If you hadn't been a high profile and "controversial" family people would be supporting you 100% but millions still do so good luck! xx

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    1. If they hadn't been a high profile family, no one would have initially leaked information to the producers of the Oprah show, who ended up cancelling their appearance and notifying child protection. This happened years before information was released in Arkansas.

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    2. It happen privately....the Oprah show did not leak it to the media for profit.

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    3. The let themselves become a high profile family even though they had skeletons in their closet. In the end it probably wasn't wise to let themselves become reality stars. This is the kind of stuff that happens.

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  37. I just wish in all this mess Josh Duggar would have been arrested and put in jail for his crimes against these amazing young women. Maybe their lives would've been different not that they are bad just different 😔

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    1. Why would Josh be arrested? He was 14 and 15 when it happened. I DO NOT think it was ok, but as he was a minor, he couldn't be tried as an adult. Also, why do people act like he raped them? He touched them inappropriately which I once again this is completely wrong, you don't put 15 year olds in jail for that. Siverly punish, yes, but not put in jail.

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    2. Michelle: I agree with you, it is incredible to me that someone can admit to such horrible crimes and not face any legal justice. Here in the UK there is no such thing as a statute of limitations, so this would not happen, an offender can face the courts many years after the crime, and the victim get justice. Maybe that is the law they really need to be fighting to change?

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    3. Arrested? Josh was a minor when he did those things. I think people are forgetting that fact. He was not an adult! Now, maybe juvenile center might have helped him back then. It may have scared him enough if he would have been placed in such a facility, with his first occurence, that he wouldn't have been a repeat offender.

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  38. I wondered if anything ever happened with that. So glad to hear something is being done. You ladies deserve justice and those who released this info for personal gain or to spite the duggars needs to suffer the consequences.

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  39. I am so glad that you all are standing up and going through with the lawsuit. I am a social worker and I can only say thank you on behalf of the woman I am privileged to work with. My prayers will be with you!

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  40. If you win I hope that you give all of the proceeds to a charity that protects children from child abuse.

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  41. To the above commenter that said they were no longer little girls. Yes they are but it still happened when they were little so it shpuld not have been made public. Things that happened to a child should NEVER be made public for the protection of them as they grow older. Who wants to go through that trama 2x in their lifetime and now it will be 3x bc of their lawsuit. Whomever it was that made that piblic did not think of how it would effect their mental health now as well as then.

    Ladies I hope you get the result that ypur are seeking in this lawsuit. God Bless you all.

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  42. I don't remember anyone harassing these young women for being victims of child abuse. If anything, they got praise for speaking openly about their situation on tv. I think that was helpful for other child abuse victims and also helped the general public understand what victims go through better. This also kept them in the public eye after "19 Kids and Counting" was cancelled and led to their current show. Unless they come forth with an instance of someone trying to make them feel ashamed or bad about their abuse, this seems like a slap in the face to the law enforcement officials who did believe them (versus Josh) and try to protect them at the time they were minors. It almost seems like they are advocating for child abusers like their brother to be protected by silence. That would hurt child abuse victims, not help.

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    1. They were forced to speak publicly because their identity was easy to figure out. Josh was a minor too. A foolish young man who made a grave mistake. Hope that judgment seat of yours isn't too far off the ground.

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    2. God can turn bad and horrible things into something that is good, because He is a good and restoring God. I think you are seeing some of the unexepected good things that have come out of the situation. And I think that God has helped the girls grow in grace through this heart wrenching experience. But what happened does not help other victims. When you are dealing with abuse you need to be able to trust someone when it's so very hard to trust anyone. And if other victims see that they could be betrayed it could only hinder them getting the help they so desperately need instead of help.

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  43. Although it isn't nice that information was put out there, the truth is the truth and if your a celebrity stuff is bound to come out, its the nature of the business. Suing is just a way in my opinion to be greedy for money its not about the principal at that point.

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  44. I'm so sad that these girls even have to go through this. The person(s) who exposed this information should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. They've (Duggar girls) have been mature and forgiving through this process. I agree that as a Christian sueing someone isn't the best choice, however, these girls have stated their intention isn't for personal gain. They're intent is to help others maintain confidentiality in the future. Prayers going up!

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  45. I am glad they're pursuing this. When the news broke out I thought of how humiliating it must have felt for them for the world to know what happened. I hope they win this case!

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    1. Laura- It was their brother who should have felt shame, not them. The sisters did nothing wrong and I don't think anyone has ever implied that they did.

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    2. They ought to be lobbying to have the laws changed, because as the current laws stand the release of the redacted reports was perfectly legal. The Duggars have lobbied for legislation in the past - why are they suing instead of doing that now?

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    3. Anon 9:02 The girls did not do anything wrong, but it is still humiliating. How would you feel if all the world knew what happened to you?

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    4. Suing may result in a change in how records are sealed or released.

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  46. It's excellent that they are standing up for the privacy of minors!They were all absolutely traumatized from the disclosure at this point in there lives. May they win the case and make a difference in the way privacy issues are handled. God bless!

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  47. I feel sad for these young women that their parents made some poor choices. JB and Michelle opted to start filming the initial TLC program, even though Josh was just sixteen and they were still in the thick of trying to manage his problems. I can only imagine the added stress on the girls, trying to paint this picture of a perfect, Godly family for the cameras, all the while trying to sort out feelings from what was surely a traumatic event in their lives. This was unfair to Josh, as well. If anyone should feel guilty about exploiting the children, it should be the parents. Rather than trying to perpetuate the facade of a devout Christian family, they would have been better off protecting the privacy of their children by staying out of the public eye in the first place.

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    1. You are so right. The parents should have protected their children from the public spotlight and the cameras following their lives.

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  48. I believe that someone was jealous of the Duggar family and decided to do this to them on purpose. We must remember Romans 8:28, that all things work together for good to those that love God and are called according to his purpose. They meant it for evil but God meant it for good so that many would be saved. I think what the Duggar girls are doing is very brave and very kind. I think that Josh was a minor and unfortunately boys at that age have hormones and those things sadly happen. It happened to me when I was in the eighth grade and I will never forget it. Not by a relative but by a friend of a friend. Thank you to the Duggar girls for doing this and helping victims.
    God bless you, I am just one of your millions of fans!

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    1. Your characterization that sexual abuse is something that "just happens" because poor boys have hormones is disgusting and a perfect illustration of why abuse persists. Men and boys are not biologically destined to abuse. They should be held accountable and taught and expected not to touch someone against their will! How gross and sad that people with thoughts like yours get to go about spreading such damaging ideas.

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    2. Personally, I think quite a bit of good has come out of this- Josh has learned that sin has real-life, real-world consequences. I think we can safely say that he will think twice before engaging in said behaviors again. He has learned that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. He has learned that he cannot "use" others and expect things to go well with him. He's learned that God wasn't kidding; you're sin will find you out if you fail to take the opportunities God affords you to repent. He's learned that if he's going cheat on his wife, he can expect push back and to lose trust, relationships, the respect of others, and his reputation. He's more fortunate than most husbands who've cheated; his wife is not suing for divorce, half of the marital assets, the family home, and child support for all of their children. He actually got off rather lightly.

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  49. I like the Duggar's but for some reason this lawsuit bugs me. I guess I feel like it's their way of seeking more attention, and maybe even greed..I don't know...I guess since they claim to be extremely Christian, I'm wondering why they don't let it go, and let God handle it. What happened to, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord?

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  50. Glad to know who ladies are standing up for yourselves and future underage victims. Will be praying for you all. God bless!

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  51. Why is it that the duggar sisters only come out as being victims once they are married? This only emphasises that they should somehow be ashamed of what happened to them whilst unmarried. Very sad situation.

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  52. I thought the person being abused was assigned an identification number so their name couldn't be released to anyone. Seems cold to be thought of as a number but how else can a victim be 100 percent guaranteed privacy?

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  53. I agree with everyone posting about protecting the privacy of minors. At the same time, I've questioned the judgment of Michele and JimBob from the get-go. I feel they've compromised the privacy of their own children through exploiting them on TV and print media... and they continue to do so. There are inherent risks involved when doing business with the entertainment industry and posting on social media. It's sad that the next generation is following the same path with their own families. It contradicts their mantra of being humble and modest.

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  54. The Duggar Family handled this badly themselves to begin with when they contacted law enforcement. They knew this going into their TLC show and instead of protecting their children again they exposed them to being scrutinized by the people of the world. Once you do such a thing the media starts looking for anyway to bring down or challenge the image they set forth. Everyone associated with this issue is to blame except the victims. That being said they as in the Duggars keep looking for 15 more minutes of fame. It’s time to stop and let their family heal out of the spot light!

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