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.
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.
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.
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.