The couple received $1 million in their 2019 federal lawsuit against Joshua Waites for alleged misconduct in his investigation of them.
Todd and Julie Chrisley have earned a victory amid their prison sentences for their involvement in bank fraud and tax evasion.
On Tuesday, the Chrisley Knows Best stars' lawyer, Burr & Forman partner Alex Little, announced that the couple resolved their 2019 federal lawsuit against Joshua Waites, the former Director of Special Investigations for the Georgia Department of Revenue. The Chrisleys filed a lawsuit against Waites, alleging that he abused his power as part of an effort to prosecute "bogus tax evasion claims" against them.
In court documents obtained by ET, the Chrisleys claimed that Waites committed misconduct in connection with his investigation of the couple, specifically targeting their estranged daughter, Lindsie, in an effort to "induce her to reveal compromising information about her family," and to gain media attention for himself.
The reality stars' former lawyer, Michael J. Bowers, claimed that Waites' initial charges against Todd, 54, and Julie, 51, 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 Chrisleys alleged that Waites pursued "an increasingly aggressive relationship with Lindsie," and improperly shared their confidential tax and grand jury information that he had learned through his position with the Department of Revenue to gain her trust and to intimidate her into cooperation.
"Ultimately Waites's efforts failed, but in the process, the Chrisleys were forced to incur substantial personal and financial hardship," Bowers said in the lawsuit.
Lindsie's lawyer told ET in a statement that her client was not the source of information that led to her parents being indicted, and denied the allegations of any such relationship.
The settlement came after the State of Georgia agreed to pay the couple $1 million.
"We have been saying for months that the criminal case against the Chrisleys was highly unusual and had real problems. This settlement is an encouraging sign," Little said in a statement. "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."
Todd is currently serving a reduced 10-year prison sentence following his tax fraud conviction. Julie, is currently serving a reduced five-year sentence in Lexington, Kentucky. Their original sentences, which were 12 years and seven years, respectively, were reduced in September 2023.
The Chrisleys' appeal of their criminal convictions will be heard by the federal appeals court in Atlanta in April.
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