Todd Chrisley. Santiago Felipe/Getty Images
Todd Chrisley has suffered another legal loss — this time for slandering a Georgia tax investigation.
Chrisley, 54, was ordered to pay Georgia Department of Revenue investigator Amy Doherty-Heinze $755,000 for slandering her on social media and podcasts, per court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Wednesday, April 10.
According to the outlet, a jury found Chrisley liable for two claims of libel and slander but not liable on a third. Doherty-Heinze awarded $350,000 in compensatory damages, $170,000 in punitive damages, and $235,000 in attorney fees.
Following the news of her win, Doherty-Heinze was “thrilled” that the verdict was “in her favor,” according to her attorney Nicole Wade, per a statement shared with Us on Wednesday.
More than two years after Todd and Julie Chrisley were charged with several counts of bank and wire fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy, the Chrisley Knows Best stars’ trial got underway in May 2022. Todd, 53, and Julie, 49, arrived in an Atlanta court on May 17 for opening statements, during which Assistant U.S. Attorney Annalise […]
“She is thankful to the federal jury who vindicated her and who found on every count that Todd Chrisley’s accusations against her were false and defamatory,” the statement read. “Amy is particularly pleased that the jury further found that Mr. Chrisley acted with actual malice and a specific intent to harm her. She hopes that this verdict will help deter Mr. Chrisley from targeting other innocent people in the future.”
Meanwhile, Chrisley’s lawyer Leesa Guarnotta also released a statement on behalf of the Chrisley Knows Best alum.
Todd Chrisley. Noel Vasquez/Getty Images
“Although we are pleased the jury recognized that not all of Mr. Chrisley’s statements were defamatory and awarded the plaintiff a fourth of the damages she requested, we are concerned about the state of the First Amendment where such a case could make it to trial in the first place,” Guarnotta said to Us. “We are optimistic about our appeal.”
Doherty-Heinze filed her defamation lawsuit against Chrisley in July 2021. In the filing, she claimed that Chrisley began a social media campaign against the Department of Revenue and some of its employees after Todd and his wife, Julie Chrisley, were being investigated for tax evasion.
Let the cameras roll. Chrisley Knows Best is certainly not without drama, but its stars have been at the center of more controversies than a single reality show can handle. Fans met Todd Chrisley, Julie Chrisley and their kids — Chase, Savannah and Grayson — when the series premiered on USA Network in March 2014. […]
The couple were being investigated by both the state of Georgia and the federal government. In their federal trial, Todd and Julie, 51, were indicted on 12 counts of tax evasion, bank and wire fraud and conspiracy in August 2019. In June 2022, they were found guilty on all counts. Five months later, the pair received their prison sentences. Todd received 12 years while Julie was sentenced to seven years behind bars.
For their case in Georgia, the Chrisleys were accused of owing more than $2 million in state taxes between 2008 and 2016. In January 2024, the twosome achieved a small victory in their case. Todd and Julie won a $1 million settlement from the state. They also agreed to pay the state $150,000, according to an Associated Press report at the time.
