Todd Chrisley Ordered to Pay $755k in Defamation Suit Amidst Prison Sentence

Todd Chrisley’s legal and financial problems worsen as the reality star serves a 10-year federal prison sentence after being convicted of federal bank fraud and tax evasion.

On April 4, a Georgia court ordered Chrisley, 55, to pay Amy Doherty-Heinze $755,000 after he lost a defamation lawsuit filed against him by a tax investigator in July 2021.

In a defamation complaint acquired by People magazine, Doherty-Heinze, an investigator with the Georgia Department of Revenue (GDOR), accused Chrisley of slandering her on social media and the podcast “Chrisley Confessions,” which he co-hosted with his wife Julie.

Doherty-Heinze said that in 2020, the real estate tycoon “began attacking [her] and accusing her of a multitude of crimes and wrongdoing” following the GDOR’s 2017 probe into the Chrisleys. Doherty-Heinze accused Chrisley of launching a “social media campaign against the GDOR and certain of its employees, contending that the investigation was illegal and improperly motivated.”

She claimed Chrisley defamed her, even though she was “not involved” in the GDOR’s probe into him and his spouse.

According to the documents, Doherty-Heinze served Chrisley with a “retraction demand” letter on July 2, 2021. She later filed the complaint because he “failed and refused to retract any of his false and defamatory accusations.”

A jury in Newnan, Georgia, returned a ruling in Doherty-Heinze’s favor on April 4, 2024, according to papers obtained by Fox News Digital.

The jury found Chrisley guilty of one count of defamation by libel for written allegations he made against Doherty-Heinze. The jury also found Chrisley responsible for one count of defamation by slander for oral statements he made against her on his podcast in 2020. Chrisley was found not responsible for one count of defamation by slander for remarks he made about Doherty-Heinze in a 2022 edition of “Chrisley Knows Best.”

Though the jury agreed that the statements were “false and defamatory,” Chrisley was not found liable because Doherty-Heinze had not demonstrated by a “preponderance of evidence” that he acted with “actual malice.”

Doherty-Heinze was granted $350,000 for compensatory damages, $170,000 for punitive damages, and $235,000 for legal fees. Nicole Wade, Dohery-Heinze’s lead counsel, told Fox News Digital, “Amy is overjoyed with the jury’s decision against Todd Chrisley. These lies have hung over her head for four years, and she is grateful that the jury believed in her and found her innocent.

“The jury found on all counts that Mr. Chrisley’s accusations were false and defamatory, and they also found that he acted with actual malice and specific intent to harm Amy,” Wade went on to say. “The verdict against Mr. Chrisley proves that social media personalities will be held accountable for publicizing lies about an innocent person, and it is a lesson that we hope he takes to heart.”

Leesa Guarnotta, Chrisley’s lawyer, did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Guarnotta told People that she and Chrisley were “pleased the jury recognized that some of Mr. Chrisley’s statements were not defamatory and awarded the plaintiff a fourth of the damages she requested.”

Guarnotta informed the source that they want to appeal the ruling, saying, “We are concerned about the state of the First Amendment in which such a case could even make it to trial in the first place.”

“We are optimistic about our appeal.”

Chrisley and his wife were convicted of federal bank fraud and tax evasion in June 2022, and they will report to prison in January 2023. Todd is serving his time at the Federal Prison Camp in Pensacola, Florida, and Julie was transferred to the Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky.

The Chrisleys received reduced sentences in September 2023. Todd and Julie will now serve a total of 15 years, with Todd serving 10 and Julie serving 5.

Todd was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Julie was sentenced to seven years after being charged with bank fraud and tax evasion in August of 2019. They were originally ordered to serve 16 months on probation following their prison sentences.

Julie was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, tax fraud, and defrauding the United States. She was additionally charged with wire fraud and obstruction of justice. Todd was found guilty of conspiracy to conduct bank fraud, bank fraud, tax fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the US.

The two are appealing their case, and their daughter Savannah announced in a November Instagram post that an appeals court had consented to hear oral arguments. The oral arguments will begin on April 19, according to People.