Sister Wives Cast: Cleared in Bigamy Investigation!
by Free Britney at .After a long investigation, bigamy charges will not be filed against Kody Brown and his four spouses, who gained prominence last year on TLC's show Sister Wives.
The Utah County Attorney's Office announced Thursday that it will not pursue a criminal case against the Browns, based on the office's interpretation of state law.
Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Buhman said that his office has adopted a formal policy not to prosecute the practice of bigamy unless it occurs in conjunction with another crime or if parties to the marriage or relationship is under 18.
"The purpose of this policy is to prevent the future prosecution in Utah County of bigamist marriages entered into for religious reasons," Buhman wrote.
"The criminal case against the Browns is now closed, and no charges will be filed against them for bigamy," unless new evidence is discovered, he said.
Kody Brown and his four wives, Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn, issued a statement Thursday, saying they are "delighted by the news that the prosecutors have formally declared that the investigation of our family is at an end."
"We have spent years under investigation and ultimately had to move from the state of Utah to protect our family and particularly our children," they said.
"The decision to create the new policy in light of our lawsuit is wonderful news for not just ourselves but the many thousands of plural families in Utah."Attorneys for the Browns aren't dropping their challenge to the law. The Browns sued Utah last year, and attorney Jonathan Turley said that will continue.
"While I am pleased that the prosecutors are promising to leave this family alone, the decision will not end our challenge to the state law," Turley wrote.
Attorneys for the Browns filed an 80-page motion and Thursday "challenging the anti-bigamy law on seven distinct constitutional and statutory grounds."
In February, a federal judge ruled there was sufficient evidence to allow the Browns to pursue a lawsuit contesting the constitutionality of Utah's bigamy law.
Should the Sister Wives cast have been prosecuted?
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Comments (9 Total)
Slippery slope.....
The adults in this family are scammers. They have run up large credit card debts and then had them forgiven in bankruptcy court. Because of their unusual lifestyle, they were able to declare bankruptcy three times. Janelle and Christine filed as single individuals and Meri and Kody filed as a married couple. After Janelle's filing in 1997, they had ten more kids and added another wife. These documents are available on the Internet.
I really enjoy this series. This family seems to work well, if the wives are happy with this life style I don't see what the problem is. The kids seem well adjusted and well cared for., and judging by the older ones, they seem really responsible. There is a lot of communication in this family which most families lack. Isn't it more concerning about child abuse or neglected children which exists so much today. I do think its an old fashioned idea, one man and four wives, but not a problem for them if all parties involved are agreeable to this.x
Live and let live sure but as far as I'm concerned it's just another example of religious oppression of women. The so called man in this family admitted that he would never allow his wife to marry a second husband - total double standards
I think it's a great idea. Built in babysitters and 3 other women to pick up the slack and keep you company, share the work load, and the sex load. Cody may think he's female's most wanted, but I think they are perfectly happy only having to deal with him once or twice a week! Go girls!