Todd Chrisley was a business tycoon at the height of his power. Now, he is vying away his time in prison on fraud and tax evasion charges. The Chrisley Knows Best star got a chance for an oral appeal. But while that happens, there are other legal troubles as well.
Chrisley might be in prison, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have other legal troubles. Recently, Todd lost a defamation case. The court ordered the star to pay the plaintiff, Amy Doherty Heinze, $755k. But Todd’s lawyer doesn’t think the star will be able to pay the amount.
Chrisley Knows Best: Todd’s Lawyer Claims He Can’t Pay $755K
Todd Chrisley has a never-ending list of legal troubles. It began with him going to jail on fraud and tax evasion charges. Then, he had to fight a case against the Department of Revenue’s former Director of Special Investigations, Joshua Waites. Luckily, the Chrisley Knows Best star won the case. However, he didn’t have the same luck with the next case.
The Gorgia Department Of Revenue’s Amy Doherty-Heinze sued Todd. She filed a defamation case against him in 2021. The hearing for the case was last week, and Todd lost the case. So, the court ordered him to pay Amy $755K. But the star’s lawyer doesn’t think Todd can pay the big amount. He feels Todd doesn’t have enough funds.
Todd’s lawyer, Jay Surgent, told TMZ that the star doesn’t have enough money to pay the amount. He doesn’t have the income to pay the money while he is in prison. So, figuring out how they will pay the $755k and the rest of the money will be difficult. It turns out that Todd has another enormous amount to pay the government.
Jay Surgent says that Todd’s imprisonment is a hurdle in his ability to work. The Chrisley Knows Best star has no income right now. On top of that, he has to pay two big sums of money ($755k to Amy and $17 million to the government). So they’ll soon have to figure out how to pay the money. However, Jay is still adamant that Todd shouldn’t have to pay the $755 as he wasn’t responsible for libeling or slandering anyone.
Chrisley Knows Best: Amy Doherty-Heinze Wins Case Against Todd
Amy Doherty had filed a defamation case against Todd in 2021. But he had failed to retract the “false and defamatory accusations” he had made against her. So Amy sued the Chrisley Knows Best star as he “acted in bad faith,” causing her “unnecessary trouble and expense.” Amy won the case!
The court ordered Todd to pay her $350k in compensatory damages, $235k in legal expenses, and $170k in punitive damages. So, the total amount is $755k. While Todd will appeal the ruling, Amy is happy.
Amy’s legal team said she was “happy” the jury “vindicated” her. They “found all three” of Todd’s “statements “false and defamatory.” It looks like Todd might not fare so well in the appeal if he chooses it.
