Former “19 Kids and Counting” star Joseph Duggar is asking a Florida judge to loosen restrictions tied to the no-contact order issued in his child molestation case, arguing the conditions are interfering with his work managing multiple properties.
According to court filings obtained by Page Six, Duggar wants the order modified so he can legally be within 500 feet of a residence once associated with the alleged victim. The current order bars him from being within that distance.
In the filing, Duggar claimed the alleged victim and her family no longer live at the property.
“The alleged victim and her family have abandoned their residence, no longer residing at the previously listed address,” Duggar stated in the court documents.
He said the restriction is creating problems because he oversees several nearby parcels of land connected to his real estate work. Duggar listed six separate properties in the filing and detailed maintenance tasks he says he needs to complete, including landscaping, flooring installation, and repairs.
“The continued no contact order in its present form is causing issues with the Defendant being able to maintain the properties listed herein,” he wrote.
Duggar also emphasized in the filing that he is not seeking direct interaction with the alleged victim.
“He is not requesting contact with the alleged victim” or to be “within 500 feet of the alleged victim,” the filing states, reiterating the claim that the family no longer resides at the address originally connected to the order.
The request comes as Duggar is also attempting to change another portion of the no-contact order involving his children with wife Kendra Duggar.
Court records show Duggar previously asked a judge to allow unsupervised contact with the couple’s four children, arguing the restrictions have strained the family.
He said the current terms are “creating a hardship for the family unit,” adding that he has not communicated with his children since his arrest.
A hearing on that request is scheduled for July 14.
Duggar, 31, was arrested in Florida on March 18 and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving a child younger than 12, along with a second lewd and lascivious conduct charge involving a person 18 or older.
Authorities allege the incident involved a 9-year-old girl during a 2020 vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida. According to an affidavit, the alleged victim — now 14 — told investigators Duggar molested her during the trip.
After being extradited to Florida, Duggar entered a not guilty plea.
The reality TV figure is also facing separate charges in Arkansas, including four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment. His wife, Kendra, faces the same Arkansas charges, and both cases remain pending.
Despite the allegations, Kendra Duggar has continued standing by her husband, according to previously obtained jail calls between the couple.
