Summary
- Josh Duggar was sued for using a man's image on dating profiles which the man claimed cost him work.
- Despite the man's claims, the lawsuit was thrown out because the California court had no jurisdiction.
- Fans had a field day poking fun at Josh's multiple dating profiles and his controversial statements.
When the Duggar family's oldest son Josh got married, fans were thrilled for the young couple. But after five children together, Josh made mistakes in his marriage that led to him being outed as not only a serial cheater but also a potentially abusive partner, according to at least one woman who claimed to have connected with Josh Duggar.
Amid the fallout over Josh's dating profiles being made public, he also wound up involved in a court case over them. Here's why Duggar was sued over his dating profiles, how that case ended, and what else is known about his dating profiles before Josh Duggar was sentenced to over a decade in prison.
Josh Duggar Was Sued For Stealing Photos For His Dating Profiles
A man sued Josh for using his identity on dating sites
In 2017, before Josh Duggar was arrested for possessing inappropriate material of children, he was involved in a very different court case. Duggar's use of the cheating site Ashley Madison had already been revealed, and at the same time, Josh admitted to cheating on his wife (even though fans found other issues in old footage of Josh). But it was his dating profiles that caused legal troubles at that time.
In 2015, Josh admitted he had cheated after an Ashley Madison hack revealed his information (and spending habits) on the site. Josh admitted to those wrongdoings and went to a "long-term treatment center."
But at least one person claimed that Josh Duggar's misdeeds went beyond creating dating profiles to cheat on his wife. One man sued Josh for using his image on dating profiles, which the man claimed cost him work and his reputation.
Josh And Anna Duggar's Now-Defunct Website Hints At Everything The Couple Refused To Address Publicly
Josh and Anna Duggar used to have a family website, but it went down after Josh's scandals — though not before backups were made.
At least one of Josh Duggar's dating profiles — on the site OKCupid — used a photograph of a man named Matthew McCarthy as its main image. McCarthy claimed that Josh also used his likeness on Twitter and Ashley Madison. The OKCupid profile in question was said to be linked to one of Duggar's email addresses; the profile name for that site was "joesmithsonnwa."
Unfortunately for McCarthy, a DJ in California, his case was thrown out because the court in California had no jurisdiction over Josh Duggar, who lived in Arkansas at the time.
Despite McCarthy's argument that Josh's two visits to California in previous years meant he could file in California court, the judge agreed with Duggar's lawyers, who claimed that Josh's visits to California had nothing to do with the OKCupid profile or his "connections."
In Theory, Josh Duggar Could Have Been Sued In His Home State
While the lawsuit amount was undisclosed, Josh won by default
Though some headlines stated that Josh Duggar "won" the lawsuit, it seems that the result was a bit muddier than that. It's possible that Matt McCarthy could have filed his lawsuit in a court that did have jurisdiction over Josh Duggar, and it's unclear why he didn't attempt it.
Josh Duggar's Fellow Inmate Claims Josh Is A "Regular, Nice" Guy Behind Bars
Josh Duggar is a celebrity in prison, with fellow inmates calling him a "nice" guy, but critics are not impressed with that report.
Depending on how much money in damages McCarthy was asking for, it may not have been worth his trouble to find legal counsel in Arkansas and possibly travel there for a court case. It's also unclear how he planned to argue his case for damages.
The DJ claimed that he received harrassing messages from people after his photo was connected to Josh Duggar, and he also alleged that he lost out on professional gigs due to the association. Some spectators assumed he was looking for easy money, while many were sympathetic to the downfalls of being connected to Josh Duggar — especially after his 2021 arrest.
Josh Duggar's Dating Profiles Had Critics Poking Fun
Fans believe they have uncovered Josh's multiple dating profiles
After Josh Duggar's Ashley Madison profile was revealed, his various other dating and social media accounts were also unearthed. Duggar's alleged OKCupid account, featuring Matt McCarthy's selfie, included answers to a dating survey that indicated he was looking for "someone for tonight" and that he was the type of person to tell a homeless person to "get a job."
Duggar's apparent answers stated that he had not been faithful in all of his past relationships, he would sleep with someone on the first date, and that he would "need to sleep with someone before... considered marrying them."
The 'survey' also suggested Duggar thought 14 partners was way too much for his prospective partner, but that he would consider an open relationship and that love was not his most "interesting" "future plan."
All of this only echoes the fact that insiders have said Josh Duggar was always "problematic," but that they ignored his "creep" behavior.
Jim Bob Duggar's Political Career Was Not Promising Even Before Josh Went To Prison
Jim Bob Duggar did not win his senate seat, but things were not promising even before Josh wound up in prison.
As for Josh's other dating profiles, critics thought the photos Josh used there — actual photos of him this time — were equally hilarious as his profiles elsewhere. One image on the profile "josh_the_man" featured someone assumed to be Josh flexing one arm, with a chat bubble pasted over his face.
The other featured Josh with an eye mask superimposed over much of his face. That profile's name was "Ready4thisDC."
Redditors commented they were "dying" of laughter over the latter profile name, but some also pointed out that his OKCupid profile was "so much worse."
However bad Josh's cheating scandal was, it ultimately couldn't compare to his later scandal, which many suspect has his wife Anna Duggar considering a separation while her husband is behind bars.
