Todd and Julie Chrisley receive $1 million from Georgia in lawsuit settlement
The lawyer for the ‘Chrisleys Know Best’ stars called the settlement ‘unprecedented’
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Todd and Julie Chrisley will receive a $1 million settlement from the state of Georgia over a lawsuit the couple filed against Joshua Waites, the former Director of Special Investigations of the state’s Department of Revenue.
The lawsuit, filed in 2019, alleged misconduct over an investigation into a state tax evasion charge, of which they were eventually cleared.
The couple, however, were later convicted on federal fraud and tax evasion charges and sentenced to a combined 19 years in prison. Their sentences were reduced last year, and Todd is expected to be released in 2033, while Juie is scheduled to get out in 2028.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We have been saying for months that the criminal case against the Chrisleys was highly unusual and had real problems," their lawyer Alex Little said in a Wednesday press release. "This settlement is an encouraging sign. It’s nearly unprecedented for one arm of the government to pay money to defendants when another arm is fighting to keep them in jail."
SAVANNAH CHRISLEY DETAILS PARENTS' ‘RETALIATION’ IN PRISON SINCE SHE BEGAN SPEAKING OUT
Todd and Julie Chrisley have been awarded $1 million from the state of Georgia over a lawsuit the couple filed in 2019. (Kevin Mazur/ACMA2017/Getty Images for ACM)
An appeals court in Atlanta will hear the couple’s appeal in April, Little said. They have denied the charges against them.
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The Chrisleys lawsuit accused Waites of being an "out-of-control public servant" who "abuse[d] his office and violate[d] the rights of innocent citizens for reasons that have more to do with securing publicity and money for his office than with enforcing the law," according to People magazine.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The couple accused Waites of targeting Todd’s estranged daughter Lindsey Chrisley, 34, whom he shares with his ex-wife Teresa Terry, to get information on the family and then illegally sharing their confidential tax information with her.
Todd and Julie Chrisley with their daughter Savannah and his daughter Lindsie. (Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Concert For Love And Acceptance)
"Ultimately Waites’s efforts failed, but in the process, the Chrisleys were forced to incur substantial personal and financial hardship," the lawsuit said, according to People.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Todd and Julie rose to fame with the debut of their reality show, "Chrisley Knows Best," in 2014.
Todd and Julie Chrisley are currently serving prison terms for fraud and tax evasion. (USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
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The show went off the air last March. However, Fox News Digital has learned a new Chrisley reality television show will be focused on the life of Todd and Julie’s children after their parents’ prison sentences.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News Digital's Janelle Ash contributed to this report.