More than a year after Todd and Julie Chrisley were released from federal prison after receiving a full presidential pardon, the former Chrisley Knows Best couple has filed a lawsuit against their former lawyer for alleged legal malpractice that they claim contributed to their criminal conviction and imprisonment.
As you know, Todd and Julie were sentenced to federal prison after being convicted in June 2022 of tax evasion and bank fraud crimes. Todd went on to be sentenced to 12 years in federal prison, while Julie received a seven-year sentence.
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, the Chrisleys are now suing their former lawyer Chris Anulewicz, as well as the law firm Balch & Bingham on claims that their attorney “had no meaningful defense experience”– something they believe the law firm should have been aware of. (Chris is no longer employed at Balch & Bingham and now works for another law firm, according to FOX5 Atlanta; it’s unknown if his change in employment is related to the Chrisley’s case in any way.)
Todd and Julie’s lawsuit also alleges that the law firm allowed Chris to lead their case because “the Chrisley name meant money, publicity and the kind of high-profile notoriety that brings in business.”
Additionally, the Chrisleys are claiming that Chris “found time to steer” them into making a $75,000 investment into his brother-in-law’s startup food truck business, which they alleged exploited his position as their attorney and benefitted him and his family “while neglecting his duty to them” as his clients.
“The result of defendants’ conduct was a catastrophic, unforced error that sent two people to federal prison for crimes they would have never been convicted of had their lawyers done their job,” the couple’s lawsuit states. “The consequences of defendants’ failures were catastrophic.”
The lawsuit goes on to include the alleged impact that Todd and Julie believe their criminal conviction had on the entire Chrisley family– notably the cancellation of their WeTV reality series and endorsement deals that allegedly cost them “more than $25 million in income.” The couple also insist that because of their criminal conviction, “their reputations were destroyed.”
“They have spent millions more in appeals and post-conviction proceedings, all of it an attempt to undo harm that a single timely motion would have prevented,” the suit goes on to state. “A lawyer with actual criminal defense competence, supervised by a firm that took its professional obligations seriously, would never have let this happen.”
While Todd and Julie are asking for a jury trial and seeking more than $25 million in damages, the attorney representing both the Chrisley’s former lawyer and Balch & Bingham law firm reportedly told Us Weekly that, “this complaint will be vigorously defended.”
(Photos: Instagram; WeTV)
One Response
Naw, nobody was surprised that they allegedly had shady business dealings.