Josh Duggar has not given up hope.
Not just yet, at least.
On Wednesday, Duggar’s lead attorney, Justin Gelfand, was granted a motion that asked for “additional time to rile post-trial motions.”
Gelfand is the same lawyer who vowed to appeal his client’s guilty verdict almost immediately after it was read out loud in court last month, and this appeal is at the center of this new request.
The filing grants Duggar’s legal team an additional 10 days to file its post-trial motions, as the deadline is typically 30 days after a verdict comes in.
“The defense has ordered the trial transcripts in this matter and have been informed by the court reporter that the transcripts are expected to be completed next week,” court documents state.
“Because the transcripts are necessary with respect to certain issues [Josh] intends to raise in his post-trial motions, [Josh] respectfully requests that this Court grant this request for a brief extension of 10 additional days in which to file his motions so that the transcripts may be utilized.
“And so that this Court will have a more precise record from which to consider [Josh’s] motions.”
Josh and his lawyers now have until January 19 to officially appeal the former’s conviction.
Will they succeed?
Is there any chance Duggar actually goes free?
We have no idea what Gelfand will list as the basis for his appeal — but it’s EXTREMELY unlikely Duggar’s appeal will work out in his favor.
“Whenever there’s a criminal conviction, and especially when the defendant has money, there’s going to be an appeal,” legal analyst Emily D. Baker told our friends at The Ashley last month.
“What [Josh’s attorneys] pick to appeal on will be interesting to see. I imagine they will appeal on the judge allowing Bobye Holt to testify.
“They might appeal on their motions to eliminate her testimony.”
Holt is the family friend who detailed how she was told many years ago that Duggar molestedd a five-year old while she was sitting on her lap… and he was reading her the bible.
Josh’s legal team tried (and failed) to get his history of child abuse thrown out as evidence the prosecution could use against him in this new child sex abuse trial.
“At the end of the day I didn’t see anything from this trial that would be appealable,” Baker concluded of Josh’s chances of winning an appeal.
“I think the judge ruled very fairly, the jury instructions were very clear and the evidence was very overwhelming.
“I don’t see anything based on what I know of the case that would lead me to go ’they should appeal on that, they might win.’”
Duggar was convicted on two counts of p0rnography posession back on December 9.
He’ll be sentenced to many years (likely somewhere between 10 and 20) some time this spring and is currently being held in a detention center where in-person visits are not allowed.
Late last year, Josh was placed in solitary confinement out of concerns for his personal safety.
To be blunt, pedophiles rarely fare well in prison.
“We respect the jury’s verdict and we look forward to continuing this on appeal,” Gelfaid said after Duggar learned his legal fate, adding at the time:
“We plan to appeal at the appropriate time.”
