Joseph Duggar’s bid for unsupervised contact with his four children was denied at a June 16 hearing by Bay County, Florida judge Brantley S. Clark Jr., who said any time must remain supervised under release terms. The former TLC star is also fighting separate
Joseph Duggar walked into court seeking something many parents expect to be simple—time with his children without supervision. He left with a clear answer: the conditions on his release stay in place.
At a June 16 hearing in Bay County, Florida, judge Brantley S. Clark Jr. denied Duggar’s motion requesting unsupervised contact with the four children he shares with wife Kendra Duggar. Duggar, 31, is accused of child molestation and remains in custody following allegations tied to a 2020 Florida trip.
The legal fight centers on the terms of Duggar’s release, which prohibit unsupervised contact of any minors. In a May 17 filing. Duggar argued the restriction was “creating a hardship for the family unit. ” saying he has been “unable to communicate with his own biological children since the First Appearance on March 31. 2026.”.
Clark’s ruling drew a line between time and level of oversight. The judge said Duggar is not barred from spending time with his children—it just has to be supervised.
At the same June 16 hearing, Clark also denied Duggar’s other motion related to property. Duggar sought permission to visit and work at rental properties he owns that are within 500 feet of his alleged victim’s residence. Duggar had claimed in a filing that “the alleged victim and her family have abandoned their residence. no longer residing at the previously listed address. ” but Clark ruled that Duggar can have an employee agent maintain the property.
The case against Duggar began with his arrest on March 18. when the Bay County Sheriff’s Office charged him with lewd and lascivious behavior for allegedly molesting a 9-year-old girl in Panama City Beach. Florida. in 2020. During a forensic interview. the victim—now 14—described multiple instances of “sexual abuse” during what the sheriff’s office characterized as a family vacation.
According to the sheriff’s office statement, the victim reported that Duggar repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap. She said that at one point. he asked her to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket. The sheriff’s office also said the victim told investigators that Duggar “manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals” and continued “to rub his hands on her thighs.” She told investigators that Duggar later “apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped.”.
Duggar entered a not guilty plea on March 29 and requested a jury trial. He is currently on pretrial release after posting a $600,000 bond.
Even as Duggar’s Florida case moves through its early steps. his family’s legal problems widened soon after his arrest. Days after Duggar’s March 18 arrest, his wife of nine years, Kendra Duggar, was arrested in Arkansas. The Tontitown Police Department announced on March 20 that both were charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a child and four counts of false imprisonment. Those charges are stated to be unrelated to Joseph Duggar’s Florida case.
Clark’s June 16 decisions leave Duggar with limited options: he can spend time with his children. but it must be supervised. And his attempt to operate freely around nearby rental properties was narrowed to an arrangement where an employee agent would handle maintenance—despite Duggar’s claim that the alleged victim’s family no longer lived at the previously listed address.
Joseph Duggar Kendra Duggar Bay County Florida Brantley S. Clark Jr. unsupervised contact pretrial release $600 000 bond lewd and lascivious behavior child sexual abuse allegations 19 Kids and Counting
So he wants unsupervised time… yeah no. That’s a hard pass.
I don’t get why they won’t just let him see his kids like normal parents do. Like supervised is still time, right? Sounds like the judge is being extra.
Wait, I thought he already was allowed to see them? This article reads like he’s in custody but also asking for contact, and I’m confused. Also the whole “within 500 feet” thing sounds made up like a video game rule.
The judge said he’s not barred from spending time, just supervised, but come on how is that a win if he can’t even talk much? And if the alleged victim “abandoned” the place, why does it still matter where the rentals are? Florida courts always so weird about details, but either way, it seems like he’s trying to game the system.