A federal judge in Georgia ordered incarcerated reality TV star Todd Chrisley to pay $755,000 after ruling that he defamed a Georgia Department of Revenue investigator.
Court documents indicated Chrisley is to pay $300,000 in compensatory damages, $170,000 in punitive damages and any additional legal fees to Amy Doherty-Heinze, according to TMZ. The judge concluded that Chrisley launched a vicious social media crusade against Doherty-Heinze after she claimed that he “began a social media campaign against the GDOR and certain of its employees, contending that the investigation was illegal and improperly motivated,” according to TMZ.
![NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Host Todd Chrisley speaks at the WME Party during day 3 of the IEBA 2016 Conference on October 11, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Davis/Getty Images for IEBA)](https://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-614076722.jpg)
Host Todd Chrisley speaks at the WME Party during day 3 of the IEBA 2016 Conference on October 11, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo by Jason Davis/Getty Images for IEBA
Doherty-Heinze made the decision to take the “Chrisley Knows Best” reality television star to court in July 2021. She claimed Chrisley falsely accused her of illegally snooping on a government program for the purpose of gaining information on his family. Doherty-Heinze alleged Chrisley accused her of “a multitude of crimes and wrongdoing” and “repeated false accusations that, among other things, [Doherty-Heinze] engaged in various criminal misconduct in her post as an investigator for the Georgia Department of Revenue’s Office of Special Investigations,” according to The Los Angeles Times.
![NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 20: Julie Chrisley (L) and Todd Chrisley attend the grand opening of E3 Chophouse Nashville on November 20, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images for E3 Chophouse Nashville)](https://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1183818514.jpg)
Julie Chrisley (L) and Todd Chrisley attend the grand opening of E3 Chophouse Nashville on November 20, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo by Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images for E3 Chophouse Nashville
Two months after the lawsuit was filed against him, Chrisley attempted to have the matter thrown out, but Doherty-Heinze alleged that the TV star continued to “defame” her in a September 2021 episode of the podcast he hosted with his wife, Julie, called “Chrisley Confessions,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
![BEVERLY HILLS, CA - JULY 14: (L-R) Chase Chrisley, Savannah Chrisley, Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley attend NBCUniversal's 2014 Summer TCA Tour day 2 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 14, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images)](https://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-452152240.jpg)
Chase Chrisley, Savannah Chrisley, Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley attend NBCUniversal’s 2014 Summer TCA Tour day 2 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 14, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images
Chrisley’s attorney Leesa Guarnotta issued a statement after the ruling, saying his legal team was “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.” (RELATED: Jonathan Majors Faces New Allegations From Ex In Civil Suit: REPORT)
The former real estate tycoon is currently serving a 12-year sentence in federal prison for bank fraud and tax evasion.