In response to reports that Chloe Chrisley’s mother is attempting to reclaim custody of her 10-year-old daughter after the couple’s recent conviction, Todd and Julie Chrisley have made their voices heard.
In 2016, Todd and Julie Johnson, who had previously been found guilty of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and tax fraud, became legal guardians of their granddaughter Chloe, who was born to Todd’s estranged son Kyle and Angela Johnson.
This past Monday, Johnson gave an interview to TMZ in which she discussed her intentions to “go back to court and bring Chloe back home.” Prior to her imprisonment in 2016, she and Todd had shared temporary custody of Chloe for a period of time. This occurred after Kyle had lost custody of Chloe.
In a statement that was only made available to PEOPLE, the couple said in relation to Chloe, “Todd and Julie are heartbroken by the tragic and incorrect narrative that is presently being presented in the media around Chloe.”
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Jessica Doyle, a family law attorney who represented Todd and Chrisley throughout the adoption process for Chloe, said that Johnson’s public claims are “just not legally right or even legitimate.” Chrisley and Todd used Jessica Doyle.
“I was in charge of the legal aspects of Chloe Chrisley’s adoption by Todd and Julie Chrisley. On March 24, 2017, Angela Johnson willingly handed up her parental rights to Todd and Julie Chrisley, which resulted in the termination of Angela Johnson’s parental rights “says Doyle. Since 2015, she has had no communication with the kid who is still a minor.
“The Chrisleys, Todd and Julie, do not just have custody of their daughter Chloe. Because they adopted her, they are considered to be her legal parents “Doyle adds. “I have taken the time to read and consider all of Angela Johnson’s public remarks. They simply do not comply with the law and are not even recognized as legitimate.”
When speaking with TMZ about Chloe’s future in light of the Chrisleys’ sentence, Johnson stated that she has not yet filed any legal documents but is “in the process of getting some legal papers filed so I can go back to court and get Chloe back home.” Todd, 53, will serve a sentence of 12 years in prison and 16 months probation, while Julie, 49, will serve a sentence of seven years in prison plus 16 months probation.
“During that timeframe that Chloe’s been gone, I was talking to attorneys and we were trying to figure out which way to go about getting Chloe back home,” she explained, referring to the relocation of the Chrisley family from Atlanta to Tennessee, while Johnson herself is based in South Carolina. “In that timeframe that Chloe’s been gone, I was talking to attorneys and we were trying to figure out which way to go about getting Chloe back home.”
“But at the same time, it was kind of like we were at a standstill because we were trying to figure out where we would really wind up in court,” Johnson continued. “We were trying to figure out where we would actually end up in court.”
Chloe is well aware of everything that is going on, according to Savannah Chrisley, Todd and Julie’s daughter, who said this on the pre-recorded episode of the Unlocked podcast that aired the previous week.
“She is receptive. She is a better listener than you give her credit for, “Savannah replied. She will put on her headphones and give the impression that she is listening to anything, even when there is nothing playing in the background.
She continued by saying, “So, you believe she’s listening [to something else],” to which Julie answered, “When actually she’s simply listening to the discussion.” “So, you think she’s listening [to something else],” she said.
“And so, all of the legal troubles that we’ve had going on, she’s heard about, and she’s coping with it in her own way,” Savannah went on to say in her addition.