Todd and Julie Chrisley's lawyer calls $1 million settlement win an 'encouraging sign'

ATLANTA, GEORGIA: Amid the ongoing legal drama surrounding Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley, the couple has now secured a legal victory.

On Tuesday, January 9, a lawyer for the Chrisleys announced that they are receiving a $1 million settlement from the state of Georgia.

This settlement stems from the 2019 lawsuit filed against Joshua Waites, the former Director of Special Investigations of the state’s Department of Revenue, reported ET Online.

Todd and Julie Chrisley's lawyer says case against the couple was 'highly unusual'

In a statement announcing the settlement win, Alex Little of Burr & Forman LLP wrote, "We have been saying for months that the criminal case against the Chrisleys was highly unusual and had real problems."

"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," the statement continued.

In October 2019, the legal action against Waites was taken after Todd and Julie were cleared of their state tax evasion charge in Georgia.

The couple alleged that Waites was "specifically targeting" them in their state tax evasion charge.

Todd and Julie Chrisley's former lawyer claims Joshua Waites violates rights of citizens

As per the lawsuit, the family's former lawyer Michael J Bowers stated that Waites’ initial charges against the Chrisleys were "a shocking example of how an out-of-control public servant can abuse his office and violate 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."

The legal filing claimed that Waites "began to focus his efforts and desire" on the Chrisleys several years ago.

The lawsuit further claimed that Waites targetted Todd's estranged daughter Lindsie, 34, in an attempt to extract information about the family.

However, Waites' efforts ultimately failed, and he allegedly shared Chrisley's confidential tax information with her.

"Ultimately Waites’s efforts failed, but in the process, the Chrisleys were forced to incur substantial personal and financial hardship," Bowers stated, as per the lawsuit.

In August 2019, Todd and Julie were indicted by a federal grand jury for 12 counts of bank and wire fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy.

The reality stars who were cleared by the state tax evasion case denied the 12 charges. On January 17, 2023, the couple began their respective prison sentences. Julie who is currently in the Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky will be released on October 19, 2028, while Todd will be released from the Federal Prison Camp Pensacola on January 22, 2033.