The Danica Dillon lawsuit against Josh Duggar was a $500,000 assault and battery suit filed in November 2015 by adult film performer Ashley Stamm-Northup, who used the stage name Danica Dillon. She alleged Duggar physically assaulted her during two paid sexual encounters in the Philadelphia area earlier that year. The case was dismissed with prejudice on February 5, 2016, after Dillon moved to withdraw the complaint and Duggar’s lawyers said they had evidence disproving her account.1KATV. Porn Star’s Lawsuit Against Josh Duggar Dismissed
Who Danica Dillon Is
Dillon, whose legal name is Ashley Stamm-Northup, was 28 at the time of the suit. She lived in San Diego and worked as a featured performer at strip clubs in the Philadelphia area.2Courthouse News Service. Porn Actress Says Duggar Got Rough With Her She first spoke about the alleged encounters publicly in a September 2015 interview with Entertainment Tonight, weeks before filing suit.
Duggar was already the subject of two national scandals when the complaint arrived. In May 2015, In Touch Weekly published redacted police records showing he had molested four of his younger sisters as a teenager, which cost him his job at the Family Research Council and ended TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting. In August 2015, the Ashley Madison data breach revealed he had paid for accounts on the infidelity site, and he publicly admitted to cheating on his wife.3Business Insider. Josh Duggar Molestation Allegations Child Pornography Charges Timeline
What She Alleged
The complaint, filed November 18, 2015, described two encounters. Dillon alleged that in early March 2015, Duggar approached her at The Gold Club on Chancellor Street in Center City Philadelphia, paid $600 for lap dances, and then paid $1,500 for her company at a nearby DoubleTree hotel. Inside the room, she said, he “manhandled” her and “physically assaulted her to the point of causing her physical and emotional injuries,” and that she “felt as if she were being raped.”4Philadelphia Magazine. Josh Duggar Danica Dillon Gold Club
The second alleged encounter took place in April 2015 at Creekside Cabaret in Hatfield, Montgomery County. Dillon said Duggar showed up saying he wanted to apologize for the first incident, but that his real purpose was to “deceive” her into another private meeting where similar conduct occurred.4Philadelphia Magazine. Josh Duggar Danica Dillon Gold Club
In her earlier Entertainment Tonight interview, Dillon called the experience “terrifying,” said Duggar “was very rough,” and said she pushed back with “that’s too rough.” She also said she “never told him no” and had not realized he was married.2Courthouse News Service. Porn Actress Says Duggar Got Rough With Her The suit sought $500,000 for physical injuries, emotional injuries, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Her attorney, Marc J. Frumer, put the theory this way: “While sex may be consensual, an assault and battery is clearly beyond the scope of any consent.”5People. Josh Duggar Sued by Porn Star Danica Dillon for Assault Battery
How the Case Moved Through Court
The suit was filed in the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas and removed by Duggar’s team to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Judge Mark A. Kearney was assigned to the case, with pretrial matters handled by Magistrate Judge Marilyn Heffley.6AVN. Report Danica Dillon Wants to Drop Lawsuit Against Josh Duggar
On December 30, 2015, Duggar’s attorney Jeffrey A. Conrad filed a motion to dismiss. Conrad argued that Dillon had “not alleged that Defendant attempted by force to do injury to her” and had produced only a “formulaic recitation of the elements of assault and/or battery,” leaning on her own admissions that she consented to the sexual contact in exchange for payment.7CBS News. Josh Duggar Files to Dismiss Battery Lawsuit From Adult Film Star
Frumer answered by signaling that if the case went to trial, Duggar would “likely be questioned about his entire sexual history and past misconduct,” including the molestation of minors as a teenager.8Washington Times. Josh Duggar Sued by Porn Star Danica Dillon for Assault In January 2016, Judge Kearney ordered Dillon to file a sworn certification proving the alleged encounters had actually happened and that they had taken place within the court’s jurisdiction in eastern Pennsylvania.9Daily Mail. Josh Duggar Sex Assault Suit Heats Up
Why the Case Was Dismissed
Instead of filing that sworn certification, Dillon moved to drop the case. On February 1, 2016, her attorney filed to withdraw the complaint without prejudice, which would have preserved her right to refile. Duggar’s team refused a clean withdrawal. They demanded a public retraction on social media stating that the allegations were lies, plus payment of Duggar’s attorney fees. Dillon refused the retraction and said she could not afford the fees.1KATV. Porn Star’s Lawsuit Against Josh Duggar Dismissed
The two sides reached a compromise on February 5, 2016. The case was dismissed with prejudice, so Dillon could never refile it. She agreed to bear her own legal costs and acknowledged that no money had been or would be paid to resolve the matter. Duggar gave up his right to a ruling in his favor on the merits.1KATV. Porn Star’s Lawsuit Against Josh Duggar Dismissed The agreement referenced attached exhibits that the parties agreed “would conclusively prove that Northup’s claims are fabricated,” though the contents of those exhibits were not publicly disclosed.10The Wrap. Josh Duggar Rough Sex Lawsuit Dismissed Multiple outlets reported that evidence produced by the Duggar camp showed he was not in Philadelphia during the timeframe Dillon alleged.11Fox 40. Josh Duggar Gets Lucky Porn Star Danica Dillon Drops Lawsuit
What Each Side Said Afterward
Duggar’s attorney called the accusations “entirely fictitious.”12WGNO. Josh Duggar Gets Lucky Porn Star Danica Dillon Drops Lawsuit
Dillon pushed back against the narrative that she had been caught lying. The evening the case closed, she tweeted, “Just because something was dropped doesn’t mean it was a lie.” On Instagram she wrote, “Your words are nothing,” and, “I will still be the strong woman I have been.”13Daily Mail. Porn Star Danica Dillon Drops Rough Sex Case Against Josh Duggar Years later she told The Sun she still did not regret speaking out: “I feel he needs to be held accountable.”14The Sun. Josh Duggar Ruining Life Sexual Assault Porn Star Danica Dillon
Where Josh Duggar Is Now
Duggar’s later legal troubles are unrelated to the Dillon suit. On December 9, 2021, a federal jury in the Western District of Arkansas convicted him of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material. In May 2022, U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks sentenced him to 151 months in federal prison with no parole, plus 20 years of supervised release, sex-offender registration, and $50,000 in fines.15ICE. HSI Investigation Leads to 12-Year Sentence for Former Reality Television Personality The Eighth Circuit upheld the conviction in August 2023, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal in June 2024.16Arkansas Advocate. U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Appeal of Josh Duggar’s Child Pornography Conviction He was transferred to the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, in late May 2026 from FCI Seagoville.17TMZ. Josh Duggar Sent to Federal Medical Center