It probably wasn’t a good idea for Kody Brown and his four wives to venture into the world of reality television.
Sure, it brought them fame and fortune, but it also brought them the attention of Utah law enforcement officials, who launched an investigation into the Browns’ polygamous lifestyle not long after the first episode of Sister Wives aired back in 2010.
The Browns have avoided prosecution thus far, in part by relocating to Nevada.
In 2011, the family filed a lawsuit claiming that Utah’s laws against polygamy were a violation of their constitutional rights.
Today, however, that suit was rejected by the Tenth Circuit Court, a move that could have devastating legal consequences for the Browns.
Interestingly, the Browns have yet to be charged with a crime, despite more than 100 hours of televised evidence.
This despite a recent statement from Utah State Police confirming that an investigation into the Browns possible criminal activities began “the day after the first episode aired.”
It’s possible that the DA didn’t want to go ahead with the charges due to the unclear nature of the state’s anti-polygamy statutes.
Now that a separate legal body has confirmed that the Browns are not protected by the constitution, however, law enforcement could decide to strike.
In all likelihood, however, Kody and company will never be prosecuted.
For starters, they’re protected by a stipulation that law enforcement in Utah would only pursue charges against polygamists in cases where the parties “(1) induce a partner to marry through misrepresentation or (2) are suspected of committing a collateral crime such as fraud or abuse.”
Additionally, by most accounts their run from the law was dramatized for the sake of television.
The Browns have been accused of faking much of the drama on Sister Wives, and that may end up helping them in this case.
Basically, if everything portrayed on the series was accurate, they’d be vulnerable to prosecution, but because many involved with production have confirmed that the show is largely scripted, they may be in the clear.
Watch Sister Wives online at TV Fanatic to decide for yourselves if the Browns are lawbreakers or just eccentrics.