Reality television personalities Todd and Julie Chrisley have filed a legal malpractice lawsuit against their former defense counsel, claiming inadequate representation resulted in their federal convictions and imprisonment.
The couple faced initial charges in August 2019 and were found guilty by an Atlanta jury in June 2022 on multiple counts including bank fraud and tax evasion. Todd Chrisley received a 12-year federal prison sentence, while Julie Chrisley was given seven years. President Donald Trump granted them pardons last year, leading to their release.
In the complaint filed Friday, the Chrisleys target the law firm Balch & Bingham, stating the firm “held itself out as capable of defending Todd and Julie Chrisley in one of the most consequential federal criminal prosecutions in the country. It was not.”
According to the lawsuit, the lead defense attorney Chris Anulewicz “had no meaningful defense experience,” which the firm either knew or should have recognized. The filing alleges the firm allowed him to handle the case “because the Chrisley name meant money, publicity, and the kind of high-profile notoriety that brings in business.”
The couple is requesting a jury trial and seeking compensatory damages “in excess of $25 million,” plus coverage of legal expenses and attorney fees.
The lawsuit also claims that while representing them, Anulewicz “found time to steer the Chrisleys into a $75,000 investment in his brother-in-law’s startup food truck business — exploiting his position as their attorney to benefit himself and his family while neglecting his duty to them.” Anulewicz has since moved to a different law firm.
Patrick T. O’Connor, representing Balch & Bingham and Anulewicz, stated Monday that he could not provide comment since they have not yet received the lawsuit. However, he indicated “it will be vigorously defended.”
The Chrisleys, currently residing in Tennessee, gained celebrity status through their reality series “Chrisley Knows Best,” which showcased their close family bonds and luxurious lifestyle.
According to prosecutors, before achieving television fame, the Chrisleys and a former business associate provided fraudulent documentation to Atlanta-area banks to secure millions in illegitimate loans. They allegedly used the money for expensive vehicles, high-end clothing, property purchases, and travel, while obtaining additional fraudulent loans to cover previous debts. Todd Chrisley subsequently declared bankruptcy, abandoning over $20 million in loan obligations, prosecutors stated.
The malpractice lawsuit contends that the federal investigation stemmed from an illegal, warrantless search conducted by the Georgia Department of Revenue at a storage facility containing Chrisley belongings. While the judge agreed to suppress physical documents from that search, the lawsuit argues that Anulewicz failed to request suppression of “derivative evidence,” including emails, bank records and financial documents that “formed the core of the government’s case.”
The filing states that federal investigators launched their probe using the seized information, then obtained search warrants for specific documents from the Chrisleys’ email accounts.
“Without that evidence, the government would not have had sufficient evidence to support a conviction,” the lawsuit claims.
