Joseph Duggar filed a motion Sunday to amend the no contact order placed on him after his March arrest on child molestation charges in Florida, court records show.
The 31-year-old former 19 Kids and Counting star is seeking permission to have contact with his own biological children, according to documents viewed by Us Weekly.
Duggar was arrested in March on charges of lewd and lascivious behavior involving molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior by a person 18 years or older. A 14-year-old girl alleged he molested her during a 2020 vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida, when she was 9.
He pleaded not guilty and was released on a $600,000 bond on March 31. Conditions of his release include no contact with the alleged victim and no unsupervised visits with any minors under 18, including his four children with wife Kendra Duggar.
The couple married in 2017. They welcomed son Garrett David in 2018, daughter Addison Renee in 2019, and daughter Brooklyn Praise in 2021. Jail records indicate they had a fourth child before Duggar's arrest.
In an affidavit, the alleged victim claimed Duggar touched her inappropriately on her thigh and over her underwear multiple times during the vacation. She told a detective she felt "confused" and "uncomfortable," and that Duggar "apologized for his actions," after which the alleged abuse stopped.
Days after Duggar's arrest, he and Kendra were charged with endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment. Sources told Us Weekly that Kendra's arrest stemmed from a home study conducted after Duggar's charges, not directly from the molestation case.
"After his charge, they automatically do a home study if minors live there. They came to [Kendra’s] house," an insider said. "Apparently, they had two rooms where the lock of the doorknob was on the outside instead of inside. They arrested her and took her kids for that, saying it’s evidence that she wrongly detains her kids."
Kendra, 27, pleaded not guilty and was released on a $1,470 bond. A judge lifted her no-contact order on April 17 at her lawyer's request.
A spokesperson for Duggar's parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, said they were "heartbroken" over the allegations. "Right now, they are focused on loving their family and helping Kendra and her children during this difficult time. They are praying for the victim. They ask for privacy and appreciate the kind words and prayers offered by so many," the March 30 statement read.
Kendra's family posted on Instagram that they were "troubled and heartbroken over the alleged actions committed by our son-in-law." They added they were "devastated for the young girl" and stand by her "in support and prayer."
Neither Joseph nor Kendra Duggar has publicly addressed the accusations. Us Weekly reached out to Joseph's lawyer for comment but had not received a response at the time of reporting.
The motion to amend the no contact order comes ahead of an upcoming hearing, with Duggar arguing for the right to see his children despite the restrictions tied to his release conditions.