Joseph Duggar Shares Lawyer With His Wife, Kendra Caldwell
The Duggar family legal drama continues. While Joshua Duggar’s release date is being pushed back, his younger brother is just getting started on his own legal journey. Joseph Duggar was recently in court with his lawyer to enter his plea in a child endangerment case that is completely separate from his child molestation case in Florida. His wife was also in court, and in a surprising twist, the troubled pair is sharing a lawyer. This is everything we know so far.
Joseph Duggar and Kendra Caldwell Are Sharing a Lawyer
Joseph Duggar entered a not guilty plea through his lawyer to the charges filed against him in Arkansas on April 28, 2026. He is charged with four counts of child endangerment and four counts of false imprisonment, charges that are entirely separate from his arrest on lewd and lascivious conduct. According to TMZ, Joseph, like his wife Kendra, has retained Travis Story to handle the case. The choice of attorney is interesting. Story has a long history with the Duggar family. He previously served as one of Joshua Duggar’s main attorneys in his child pornography case. Joshua was found guilty following a jury trial, and the conviction landed him in prison for more than 12 years. He is currently serving out that sentence.
The attorney arrangement came as a shock for one major reason. In a recorded jailhouse phone call, Kendra told Joseph that she had secured Travis Story as her attorney, making it clear that he was representing only her. Joseph seemed surprised, responding only with “ok” during the call. It is unclear exactly what happened thereafter that led to the couple sharing an attorney, but critics suspect Jim Bob Duggar is responsible for securing the couple’s legal representation.
Kendra, 27, has also pleaded not guilty to four counts of child endangerment and four counts of false imprisonment. While not much happened during the most recent court appearance, Kendra did score a win. A no-contact order that had been in place since March was dropped, allowing her to have contact with her four children. It is unclear whether Joseph has any contact arrangements with his kids. Their next court appearance in the Arkansas case is scheduled for August 10.
How the Charges Came About
Joseph Duggar and Kendra Caldwell’s lives exploded in scandal in March. The 31-year-old real estate agent was arrested for molesting a nine-year-old girl more than five years prior on March 18. The incident occurred in Florida years earlier. Still, a home inspection related to the arrest led to the Arkansas charges that both Joseph and Kendra now face. Both were subsequently charged with four counts each of second-degree child endangerment and second-degree false imprisonment. The charges are not related to Joseph’s case in Florida and are being prosecuted completely separately.
The Arkansas case is being handled by the Tontitown Police Department, where the couple has lived since marrying in 2017. The department has remained tight-lipped about the specifics due to the sensitive nature of the case. The full findings of the home inspection have not been publicly released, nor have the victims’ names been confirmed. It is assumed, however, that the charges involve the four children Kendra and Joseph share.
The Florida Charges and His Next Court Date
Joseph is also facing charges in Florida, entirely separate from the Arkansas case. He was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim under 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older.
The Florida case was opened after a Tontitown police detective contacted Bay County investigators regarding a report of sexual abuse. A 14-year-old girl participated in a forensic interview in which she disclosed several instances of inappropriate sexual contact involving Joseph. The teen told police the incidents occurred during a 2020 family vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida, when she was 9 years old. An arrest affidavit revealed that the victim’s father later confronted Joseph, and Joseph admitted his actions to both the child’s father and detectives. He was subsequently arrested and transferred to Florida for arraignment.
Joseph has pleaded not guilty to the Florida charges as well. His next court appearance in Florida is scheduled for May 18. He will appear before Circuit Judge Brantley Scott Clark Jr. His bond in that case was set at $600,000. Along with the hefty bond, Joseph has been ordered to have no contact with the accuser. He is also not allowed any unsupervised contact with any minor.
This is a developing story…
