Joseph Duggar
Cleared by Judge to Grill Child Abuse Investigators
Published
Joseph Duggar scored a big win in his Florida criminal case … because a judge signed off on letting his legal team grill the investigators involved in the child abuse probe.
According to new court docs, obtained by TMZ, a Florida judge ruled Monday that Duggar’s attorneys can depose witnesses tied to the investigation — including reps from the Department of Children & Families, the Child Protection Team and the Children’s Advocacy Center — even though many of those records are typically protected by confidentiality laws.
The order also forces agencies involved in the case to turn over evidence the prosecution could use at trial … including videos, audio recordings, reports and physical evidence. Duggar’s defense team will now be allowed to view, examine, and copy that material that may be used by prosecutors before the case heads to trial.
In the filing, the judge said any information connected to the investigation could be relevant to determining Duggar’s guilt or innocence … which is why the defense is entitled to access it ahead of trial.
As TMZ previously reported, Duggar was arrested in Arkansas back in March on charges tied to alleged unlawful sexual activity with a minor during a 2020 family vacation in Florida. Authorities say a now-14-year-old girl accused Duggar of incidents that allegedly happened when she was 9 years old. He has pleaded not guilty.
Duggar is also trying to amend a no-contact order in the case … arguing he has not been allowed to communicate with his own biological children since his first court appearance on March 31. In court filings, his attorneys note the alleged victim is not one of his children and stress Duggar is presumed innocent.
He and his wife, Kendra Duggar, are also facing separate child endangerment charges in Arkansas … and both have pleaded not guilty there as well.