A new twist has emerged in the ongoing family war between Rory Feek and his first daughter, Heidi. On September 16, a faith-based community, Homestead Heritage, also got involved by suing Heidi for defamation. But Rory Feek’s daughter isn’t moved by the lawsuit. She has vowed to continue on her path.
A civil war in the Feek family came to light after Heidi, 37, accused Rory, 59, of denying her access to her youngest sibling. Heidi suggested that Rory Feek and his new wife Rebecca are holding Indiana, 10, in an environment where she is prone to being abused.
On his part, Rory Feek denied the allegations, stating that he separated the sisters for good reason. He stated that he denied Heidi access to her sister due to their varying philosophies of life. The allegations Rory Feek’s daughter leveled against them have provoked the Homestead Heritage to take legal action against her.
They are suing Heidi and the Taste of Country, a website that published her allegations. Homestead Heritage, which describes itself as an “agrarian and craft-based intentional Christian community,” has slammed the accusations as “unequivocally false.”
The organization filed the suit in an Alabama federal court, citing the Taste of Country articles and Heidi’s social media posts. “These articles and the social media postings they are based on contain multiple falsehoods that misrepresent our church family and the values we uphold,” read a statement from the organization’s spokesperson, Dan Lancaster.
“The false and harmful lies propagated by the defendants have caused significant damage to our reputations and well-being,” the statement further said. However, Heidi has declared that she will not back down from her claims.
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Heidi Remains Defiant
In a joint press statement she made alongside her husband, Dillon Hodges, Heidi has vowed to stand by her claims. She stated that the lawsuit was an “attempt to scare us into submission.” “If that is the case, it didn’t work,” Heide stated.
“We’re confident that this lawsuit will open the door for others to share their stories. And I’m encouraged to see that more current and former members are speaking up every day,” she added in an Instagram video she posted on Sunday, September 29.
Rory Feek’s daughter raised the alarm in July, shortly after Rory married Rebecca, Indiana’s former schoolteacher. In a public statement, she accused the couple of abandoning Indiana during their honeymoon in a place she described as an “inappropriate place” for a child to be. Notably, Indiana suffers from Down syndrome.
Days later, she followed it up with a series of social media posts that backed up her claims. The posts contained videos of several news reports that suggested Homestead was notorious for child abuse allegations. Rory, however, explained that during the honeymoon, he placed Indiana in the care of two different families, which included children.
Homestead Responds to Rory Feek’s Daughter
Homestead admitted that there was a “single isolated incident” of child sexual abuse involving a member in 2005. The member had confessed to having “engaged in wrong activity with his daughter,” the church revealed. Homestead also revealed that the man disclosed the offense to a pastor and that the church handed the case over to law enforcement.
The member in question pleaded guilty to the crime in court and received a sentence of 35 years in prison. In a separate case, the church found that another member, Joseph Ratliff, also engaged in indecent acts with a child. Homestead also reported the matter to authorities, and a court convicted Ratliff and sentenced him to 100 years in prison.
“These isolated incidents, none of which involved Homestead Heritage leadership and all of which were properly handled by Homestead Heritage, have led critics to generate false stories regarding Homestead Heritage,” the organization lamented.
Homestead also frowned at Rory Feek’s daughter tagging one of the group’s members, Daniel Brandstadt, a “fugitive” in one of her social media posts. They clarified that Brandstadt isn’t running away from any criminal charge but is simply a party to an ongoing civil case.
Is Rory Feek’s Daughter Suing Him?
Yes. Rory Feek’s daughter, Heidi, and her younger sister, Hopie, are reportedly suing their dad over the matter. In an Instagram post on Friday, August 23, Heidi disclosed that she and her sister are challenging their father in court. “We no longer believe our Indiana is safe under our father’s care,” she stated.
One incident that raised their concerns happened in 2022. Indiana had strayed near a highway and was rescued by a stranger. Heidi accused her father of failing to address the dangerous incident but instead “used this traumatic incident to create content that boosted his public image.”
Who Is Heidi and Hopie Feek’s Mother?
Heidi and Hopie Feek are children of Tamara Gilmer, Rory Feek’s first wife. Gilmer was married to Rory Feek from 1985 to 1992. Unfortunately, the union didn’t last, as it was cut short by a divorce. In 2002, Rory got married again. This time to Joey Feek.
It was like a match made in heaven as they complemented each other both in and outside the home. Rory and Joey performed as the popular singing duo Joey + Rory. She had her first-ever baby for Rory in February 2014, when she bore Indiana.
However, Joey died in 2016 at the age of 40. She had battled terminal cancer for a long time before she gave up. Eight years later, Rory decided to marry Rebecca in the middle of the raging conflict with his two older daughters.
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