‘Counting On’: The Details of Danica Dillon’s Settlement Over Josh Duggar Battery Allegations Remain Confidential

Ashley Johnston, who went by the stage name, Danica Dillon, settled her lawsuit against Josh Duggar in 2016. The lawsuit, stemming from an alleged paid sexual encounter, claimed that Jonhston was left with emotional and physical trauma from the incident. Johnston has recently resurfaced to discuss the details of her meetings with the disgraced 19 Kids and Counting star, and now family critics are curious about the details of the settlement. Johnston can’t say much about the agreement, but family critics believe the Duggar family may have paid her in exchange for her silence.

Josh Duggar once claimed he would never settle the lawsuit out of court

For a short time after the former adult entertainment star filed her lawsuit, Josh was pretty smug. Fresh off of back-to-back scandals and a stint in a sex addiction treatment facility, he insisted he had no plans of settling with Johnston out of court. In fact, he claimed the only way he’d consider settling the lawsuit was if Johnston was willing to issue a public apology and a statement indicating that she had lied about having a sexual encounter with Josh.

No public apology came, and Johnston has maintained, for more than five years, that she did not lie about the incident. Still, Josh settled the lawsuit. It’s largely believed that Dillon told the court that she lied about the encounter, but there is no documentation to back up that claim. Dillon even took to social media, in the wake of the case’s dismissal, to insist she did not lie.

Did the Duggars pay off Danica Dillon?

The lawsuit’s abrupt about-face has left a sour taste in the mouths of many Duggar family followers. Some believe that Johnston was paid off by the Duggar family to stay mum about the details of her encounter with Josh. Others, however, wonder if Dillon decided to drop the case after it was discovered she lied about part of her encounter. The Hollywood Gossip seems to believe the latter may be true.

In a recent interview, however, Johnston doubled down. Years away from the scandal and ensuing lawsuit, she’s in a different place now. Married, with four children, she sat down with The U.S. Sun to discuss what happened with Duggar so many years before. Her story hasn’t changed much in the ensuing five years. She maintains that she met with Josh twice, and both times he paid for sex, but she did not mention the details of the settlement. Likely, she can’t speak about them. Several Duggars have come forward to suggest they have been barred from talking about the famous family, so it would stand to reason that Johnston is also banned from speaking about the situation.

Could Josh Duggar topple Jim Bob’s media empire?

In recent months, several people have come forward to talk about the Duggar family and their dark secrets. Former employees have spoken with several publications, Derick Dillard has spoken out, and now Johnston has come forward once again. The sudden interest in speaking out against the family began shortly after the Department of Homeland Security showed up in Northwest Arkansas. Back in November 2019, the agency confirmed that they were on-hand at a Duggar owned property. They, however, did not announce the reason for their visit.

Family critics have long suspected Josh Duggar may be behind the federal agency’s interest in the Duggar family. Much of the activity seemed to center around a car lot owned and operated by Josh. It’s entirely possible that Josh could topple the family’s media empire, but the details of the investigation won’t be available for months.