The Duggar family has reportedly hired a lawyer. The family is still under investigation by Child Services, and has hinted at suing over the release of Josh Duggar’s 2006 police report, so it’s no great surprise that they are seeking legal avice. The surprising part is that the chosen attorney is not in family law or government liability — but in business litigation.
It has viewers wondering: are the Duggar family seeking legal aid, not for defense against the child abuse allegations or because they believe there is an anti-Duggar conspiracy at the police department, but because they want to fight TLC to keep their show on the air.
Here’s what we know: In Touch recently reported that the Duggar family was being investigated for child abuse — not on old charges, but on current ones. The investigation is reportedly still underway, after a incident in which DHS workers were obligated to call the police when the Duggar family wouldn’t give them access to do a wellness check on the child in question.
In Touch reported something else , though: Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar could have faced charges for covering up the abuse. In their print edition, the magazine noted that the family had hired an attorney with the Friday, Eldridge, and Clark law firm.
This is where it gets interesting: the attorney named, Kevin A. Crass, doesn’t specialize in defense of child abuse charges, or in suing government agencies. However, in his list of specialties, something else appears that could be relevant to the Duggar family’s current state of affairs: breach of contract.
A request by Inquisitr to Friday, Eldredge, and Crass to confirm whether they have been hired by the Duggar family has so far received no response.
However, it’s not the firm’s first involvement in the Duggar case: when Judge Stacey Zimmerman ordered the 2006 police report destroyed, it was, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette , an attorney for the same firm who contacted the city attorney to notify him of the decission.
“Zimmerman also ordered the police report destroyed. Ernst Cate, Springdale city attorney and no relation to Brandon Cate, said he was notified via an email from an attorney with the Friday, Eldredge & Clark law firm on the afternoon of May 21 that Zimmerman had ordered the report destroyed. Ernest Cate said the city wasn’t given notice of any court proceedings before that time.”
Of course, Jim Bob Duggar has friends in virtually every profession, and perhaps Crass happens to be in his personal social network, and thus helping him out on cases unrelated to Crass’ stated specialties. Still, the Duggars hiring a lawyer who lists “breach of contract” among his specialties just as they’re facing the loss of their show does raise questions.
Are they preparing to sue TLC if the network cancels their contract for further episodes? Has TLC hinted anything of the sort to the family? They’re not saying anything publicly, and the network’s website is still full of Duggar content, from wedding videos to links to Michelle Duggar’s blog.
Could there be a behind-the-scenes battle going on between the Duggar family and TLC to determin the fate of 19 Kids and Counting ?
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