Stars of the reality TV series, Counting On, Joy-Anna Duggar and Austin Forsyth have found themselves in the crosshairs of the law. The couple flipped and sold a house and there are questions about whether the proper permits were obtained.
The couple who purchased the house from Joy-Anna and Austin say that issues with the septic tank are a direct result of Austin not getting the right permits. It’s caused such issues that the buyers are suing Austin Forsyth for fraud.
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According to reporting by In Touch, the lawsuit was filed on October 11th.
Forsyth sold the home in Washington County, Arkansas in June of 2018. According to documents obtained by In Touch, the buyers, “began noticing that their yard was saturated on the driest of days and that an unmistakable foul odor of human waste emanated from their yard.”
The plaintiffs in the case realized the issue probably stemmed from the septic tank so that contacted a tradesman to take a look. After examination, it was determined “land was unsuitable for the septic system that was installed.” The cost of the fix? A whole new system would be required and cost $20,000.
The buyers attempted to “rescind the purchase of the house” due to fraud committed by Austin Forsyth.
The plaintiffs claim that Austin Forsyth did not get the required permits from the Health Department to install the septic tank and then he went on to lie about having those permits. Based on their claim, the plaintiffs attempted “rescind the purchase of the house due to the signed fraudulent statements of the Defendant during the sale.”
The plaintiffs tried to contact Forsyth “to no avail.”
The plaintiffs said they attempted to contact Forsyth about the issues “to no avail” before filing the lawsuit. They’re seeking to rescind the purchase of the property “or, in the alternative, for damages suffered, for punitive damages, costs, attorney’s fees, and all other relief this Court deems necessary.”
Austin responded to the summons on November 19th but denied any wrongdoing.
Forsyth claimed that he was “not required to obtain a permit,” and he never “falsely stated that all necessary permits were obtained for the work done on the home and that it was done according to code.”
The Washington County website states that the ordinance for permits on septic tanks, “applies only to property in the unincorporated areas” of the county. It’s odd that Forsyth, who flips houses for a living, would be unaware of rules governing septic tanks and other necessary permits.
Joy-Anna and Austin have had a rough time lately.
The couple recently lost a child and if things had gone to plan, it would have been born this November. Unfortunately for this young family, the child did not make it. They had planned on naming the baby, Annabell Elise.
We hope that this hiccup gets resolved quickly. It’s probably not uncommon for people in Austin’s line of work to face legal issues over permits and the like. No matter how it shakes out, we hope the best for this family.