Todd Chrisley Ordered to Pay $755K Behind Bars

Todd Chrisley

Todd Chrisley's legal troubles are still very far from being over.

The embattled reality star—who is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for federal fraud charges—was recently dealt another legal blow after he was ordered to pay $755,000 in a defamation lawsuit.

On Thursday, April 4, a judge sided with plaintiff Amy Doherty-Heinze, who filed a 2021 defamation case against Chrisley, claiming he accused her of "multiple crimes and wrongdoing" following the investigation of him and his wife Julie Chrisley conducted by the Georgia Department of Revenue (GDOR) in 2017.

According to documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Doherty-Heinze—a former special agent with the GDOR—alleged in her complaint that Chrisley lodged a "social media campaign against the GDOR" and certain members of its staff by claiming the investigation of the Chrisley's "was illegal and improperly motivated."

Doherty-Heinze said Chrisley made "repeated false accusations" against her, including claims that she "engaged in various criminal misconduct," such as "illegally accessing" government programs to get information on the Chrisley's.

Doherty-Heinze later issued a "retraction demand" in July 2021, which Chrisley did not comply with.

A judge ruled in favor of the plaintiff in a Georgia court last week, ordering the Chrisley Knows Best alum to pay $350,000 in compensatory damages, $170,000 in punitive damages and $235,000 in attorneys fees—all adding up to a total of $755,000.

In a statement made to PEOPLE, an attorney for Chrisley said they are "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."

"We are concerned about the state of the First Amendment where such a case could make it to trial in the first place," the statement continued. "We are optimistic about our appeal."

Chrisley's legal team is also in the midst of appealing his 2022 conviction of federal fraud charges, which landed both him and his wife in separate federal prisons.

The couple is now awaiting their appeal hearing, which is scheduled to take place on Fri., April 19.

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