Todd and Julie Chrisley sue law firm for $25 million, say legal flub led to conviction

Embattled world TV personalities Todd and Julie Chrisley are suing an Atlanta instrumentality steadfast and 1 of its attorneys, alleging that ineligible mistakes led to the couple’s conviction.

The lawsuit, filed June 5 successful U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, alleges that Atlanta-based Balch & Bingham LLP and lawyer Chris Anulewicz “put their ain interests up of their clients’ lives” by taking connected the couple’s lawsuit and appointing Anulewicz arsenic the lead, which they accidental meant “money, publicity, and the benignant of high-profile notoriety that brings successful business.”

According to the Chrisleys, Anulewicz “had nary meaningful transgression defence experience,” and “Balch knew this — oregon should have.” They besides assertion that portion representing them, Anulewicz steered them into a $75,000 concern successful his brother-in-law’s nutrient motortruck business.

The suit claims that the couple’s condemnation and consequent national situation condemnation were the effect of an “unlawful, warrantless hunt of the Chrisleys’ warehouse” by the Georgia Department of Revenue, and that Anulewicz missed a deadline to suppress derivative grounds that was yet utilized arsenic the instauration of the prosecution’s case.

“That amerciable hunt launched the full national case,” reads the lawsuit. “The territory tribunal agreed the hunt was amerciable and suppressed the carnal documents. But Anulewicz — operating without supervision from Balch — ne'er moved to suppress the derivative evidence: the emails, slope records, and fiscal documents that national agents obtained due to the fact that of what they learned from the amerciable search.”

The mates is seeking $25 cardinal successful damages, claiming that due to the fact that their squad didn’t person the documents suppressed, they were convicted connected each count.

“They served clip successful national prison,” reads the suit. “They were separated from each different and from their children. They mislaid their tv amusement and endorsement deals, costing them much than $25 cardinal successful income. Their reputations were destroyed. They person spent millions much successful appeals and post-conviction proceedings, each of it an effort to undo harm that a azygous timely question would person prevented.”

In 2022, an Atlanta tribunal recovered the “Chrisley Knows Best” mates blameworthy connected charges of conspiracy to perpetrate slope fraud, slope fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and taxation fraud. Julie Chrisley was besides charged with ligament fraud and obstruction of justice.

Todd Chrisley received a 12-year sentence, on with 16 months’ probation, portion his woman was sentenced to 7 years successful situation and 16 months’ probation.

In 2024, the Chrisleys’ daughter, Savannah, appealed to President Trump to escaped her ma and dad. During the Republican National Convention, she gave a code astir the “rogue prosecutors” who locked up her parents.

Last year, Trump granted the world stars a afloat pardon.

Jay V. Surgent, an lawyer who represents Todd and Julie Chrisley, said successful a connection to The Times that the world stars “have correctly been pardoned by President Trump.” He alleged that Georgia officials violated the “Chrisley Knows Best” stars’ law rights owed to their notoriety and criticized section authorities’ “improper seizure of evidence.”

Times unit writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.