Todd Chrisley, the disgraced actuality TV star who’s at present incarcerated for financial institution fraud and tax evasion, has been hit with contemporary authorized and monetary points, studies stated.
The 54-year-old Atlanta-based businessman and tv persona, finest recognized for showing on the USA Community actuality present “Chrisley Is aware of Finest,” has been ordered to pay $755,000 to a former Georgia Division of Income investigator for making defamatory statements towards her.
A Georgia choose on Thursday discovered Chrisley liable for 2 claims of libel and slander towards Amy Doherty-Heinze, in keeping with a number of studies.
In keeping with paperwork obtained by The Los Angeles Instances and Folks, Doherty-Heinze was awarded $350,000 in compensatory damages, $170,000 in punitive damages, and $235,000 in lawyer charges from Chrisley.
Chrisley, who’s 15 months into his 12-year sentence, testified remotely from FPC Pensacola through the trial.
Tommy Garcia/USA Community/NBCU Photograph Financial institution through Getty Photos
In keeping with the investigator’s swimsuit, Chrisley shared a number of defamatory statements about Doherty-Heinze on his podcast and social media accounts after the Georgia Division of Income started their investigation into him and his spouse, Julie Chrisley, in 2017.
On a 2020 episode of the couple’s now-defunct weekly podcast, “Chrisley Confessions,” the true property mogul accused Doherty-Heinze of corruption and of “illegally accessing” a authorities program to tug info on his spouse and youngsters, the lawsuit stated.
The plaintiff initially requested Chrisley to retract his defamatory statements, which he declined. She filed her lawsuit the next 12 months in July 2021, alleging that Chrisley had accused her of “a mess of crimes and wrongdoing,” per authorized paperwork.
Doherty-Heinze stated that Chrisley “repeated false accusations” about her “prison misconduct in her submit as an investigator for the Georgia Division of Income’s Workplace of Particular Investigations.”
In keeping with the legislation swimsuit, Chrisley continued to “defame” Doherty-Heinze in a September 2021 episode of their podcast after he tried to have the case thrown out.
On the weeklong trial, which concluded on Thursday, an eight-person jury discovered Chrisley chargeable for the 2 claims of libel and slander made in 2020 and 2021 however not chargeable for a 3rd declare of slander made in a 2022 podcast episode as they did not imagine he acted with “malice” on that event.
In response to the ruling, Chrisley’s lawyer, Leesa Guarnotta, stated in a press release to USA Right this moment: “Though we’re happy the jury acknowledged that not all of Mr. Chrisley’s statements have been defamatory and awarded the plaintiff a fourth of the damages she requested, we’re involved concerning the state of the First Modification the place such a case might make it to trial within the first place.”
USA Community
In keeping with his lawyer, Chrisley shall be submitting an attraction, and he’s “optimistic” about its final result.
Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in federal jail in 2022 after he and his spouse have been discovered responsible of defrauding banks out of greater than $30 million by offering pretend monetary statements, giving the looks they have been wealthier than they have been.
In the meantime, His spouse was handed a seven-year sentence. They’re serving their sentences at two separate amenities in Florida and Kentucky.
As Enterprise Insider reported in September, the pair have already had time shaved off their sentences.
In keeping with federal jail information, Chrisley is scheduled to be launched on October 9, 2032. In the meantime, Julie’s launch has been moved to July 6, 2028.
