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Savannah Chrisley Pleads With Judge to Be Dismissed From Legal Battle Over Brother Grayson’s 2022 Car Crash
Savannah Chrisley demanded she be excused from the lawsuit over her brother Grayson Chrisley’s 2022 car crash that ended with another driver injured, In Touch can exclusively reveal.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Savannah, 26, argued she could not be held liable for the accident. Savanah said she had no legal rights associated with Grayson, 18, at the time. She noted she became joint legal guardian of her brother in January 2023 — around the same time her parents Todd and Julie Chrisley checked into prison.
In addition, Todd, 55, Julie, 51, and Savannah argued deny the 2020 Ford 5150 pickup that Grayson was driving on the date of the crash was “maintained for family use and was not being operated to further a family purpose at the time of the subject accident.”
They said Grayson was “not acting on the business of any of the Defendants at the time of the accident.”
Todd and Savannah said they did not own the car Grayson was driving. Lastly, the family said Grayson did not have a history of “driving incompetency.” As a result, the Chrisley family demanded Patrick Rykwalder‘s lawsuit over the November 22, 2022, crash be dismissed.
In his complaint, Patrick accused Grayson of crashing into the back of his 2020 Dodge Ram while on Interstate 65 in Tennessee. The accident occurred only weeks before Grayson’s parents reported to prison. Patrick claimed the accident was caused because Grayson was “not paying attention to the roadway.”
Patrick said Grayson “failed to act appropriately under the circumstances, which included at a minimum maintaining a safe operating distance from other motor vehicles, maintaining a safe operating speed, and avoiding being distracted by electronic devices within his motor vehicle.” Todd and Julie’s son was rushed to the hospital but was released soon after.
For months, Todd and Julie fought Patrick over his request to view their text and phone call logs for the days before the crash, the day of the crash, and the days following the incident. Eventually, an agreement was reached that allowed Todd and Julie to review their records before Patrick was allowed to view.
Additionally, the incarcerated couple attempted to seal portions of the lawsuit.
Their lawyer argued, “Defendants are national television personalities who are requesting that this Court seal the court record in this matter to protect their privacy, especially in light of [Julie] and [Todd’s] appeals of their recent criminal convictions.”
Todd and Julie’s attorney said if certain information was released it “may result in serious embarrassment or exploitation of Defendants’ personal privacy.” Patrick fought the request. He argued, “For parties who suddenly want privacy — after seeking public attention at every opportunity — they sure have an odd way of going about it. Alternatively, maybe the Defendants want to control the public narrative surrounding the case by getting their version of events publicly and then seeking this Court to seal any counter narrative that may otherwise come out.”
He added, “If the Defendants were truly concerned with something embarrassing coming out from the case at bar they would not have utilized their platforms to remain relevant, profit from an otherwise terrible situation, or seek public sympathy by alleging they are the victims.”
The case is ongoing.
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