The Duggar family has admitted that the past year has been incredibly difficult for the family due to Josh Duggar’s behavior and past indiscretions. The oldest Duggar son was revealed as the center of a child molestation case in the family home as a teen, in which the family admits he molested his own sisters.

However, the trouble didn’t stop there. Josh was then revealed as a paid user of the infidelity website Ashley Madison. Duggar then admitted to having a pornography addiction and to being unfaithful to his wife, Anna Duggar. After the startling admissions, a porn star revealed that she had slept with Josh on two separate occasions and was paid for her services. However, she says she got more than she bargained for when Josh choked her and violently assaulted her during their first encounter. Now the porn star wants Josh Duggar to pay up for his violent sex session, which has led to a civil lawsuit being presented in Pennsylvania against the troubled Duggar son. Depending on what happens in the civil case, legal experts say it could pave the way for criminal charges to be brought against Josh Duggar, which could land him in prison.

In Touch reports that Josh Duggar will soon appear in court over a civil lawsuit filed by porn star Danica Dillon. The $500,000 civil suit was filed by Dillon after she claimed that Duggar assaulted her physically during a sex session. Dillon, a porn star and stripper, says that Josh met her at a strip club and offered to pay her for sex. She agreed and met the oldest Duggar son in a hotel. However, she claims that Josh Duggar was incredibly rough during the sex session and even choked her at one point. The woman is now saying the encounter “felt like rape” because of the way he manhandled her throughout the ordeal. She is now seeking $500,000 for the physical and emotional distress she claims she faced due to the violent sexual encounter.

Josh Duggar left Anna to care for a baby and three other kids alone for six months (Image via Duggar Family Official Facebook)

According to Radar Online, Josh Duggar’s legal team officially responded to Dillon’s claims on December 23 by requesting that the case be moved to the federal courts from Pennsylvania, as neither Josh Duggar nor Danica Dillon are residents of the state. However, the case was filed in Pennsylvania due to the fact that the alleged battery took place in a hotel room in that state. As a result of the request, Judge Kearney ordered Duggar to file a memo on January 11 and Dillon to file her response by January 19. The pair are then to appear in court on January 21, 2016, for a pretrial hearing and to decide if the case remains in Pennsylvania or moves to the federal level.

Danica Dillon was the first porn star to allege that she had a traumatic sexual encounter with Josh Duggar (Image credit: Danica Dillon/Instagram)

Although the case is a civil trial, Philadelphia criminal defense attorney Lloyd Long III, tells In Touch that the civil case could lead to a criminal investigation. Duggar will be forced to answer questions about the encounter under oath, and anything he says in that civil case can be used by criminal investigators to file a criminal assault or battery charge against the reality star. If criminal charges are pursued, Duggar could spend up to 20 years in prison.

“The most likely crimes Josh could be charged with range from misdemeanor simple assault, which carries a maximum sentence of one to two years, or felony aggravated assault, which carries a 10-year to 20-year maximum sentence.”

Sources also told the publication that the Duggar family is concerned about the potential for Josh to face legal action and feel that he would never be the same if he entered prison.

“[Jim Bob] doesn’t want this case becoming a criminal matter. He knows Josh would never be the same if he went inside. They’re afraid Josh going to jail would leave an indelible stain on the family name,” adds the source, “and that they, too, would be punished for years because of what he did.”

Do you think the Josh Duggar civil case will turn into a criminal investigation?

[Image via Twitter/Danica Dillon and Instagram]