A former client of Tom Girardi, the soon-to-be ex-husband of Erika Jayne from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, is speaking out against him after he represented her over a decade ago. The ex-client is revealing some disturbing information about the famous lawyer.
It seems as though Tom has been caught in more legal trouble amid his embezzlement lawsuit. Tom and Erika owe over $2 million to the families of the victims of the 2018 Indonesian airline Lion Air airplane crash and were hit with a lawsuit by law firm Edelson PC. The lawsuit claims Tom and Erika (who's accused Tom of cheating on her) have been using the families' money to fund their lavish lifestyle. On top of that, the former couple is being accused of having a sham divorce and splitting up in order to conceal or keep certain assets.
According to All About The Tea, the former client of Tom's was once represented by the lawyer over a decade ago. In September 2010, Kathy encountered difficulties when a natural gas pipeline explosion burned down her home and left her 19-year-old son Joe Ruigomez burned and unconscious. The explosion took place in a San Bruno, California neighborhood and killed eight people. One of those people who tragically passed away was Joe's girlfriend at the time. When Kathy heard about Tom, she had him handle her case so she could focus on healing from her trauma and taking care of her son. She agreed to sign a retainer agreement with the lawyer, who would often visit her son once he awoke from his coma. Tom was able to form a bond with Kathy and her family.
Eventually, Kathy was able to reach an eight-figure settlement with Pacific Gas and Electric, the utility company responsible for the explosion, and even allowed Tom to look after the funds she was awarded. The relationship began to change after the family was asked to turn over their settlement of $11 million. “It’s kind of disturbing that he wanted to see [Joe] face to face when he was basically stealing his money,” Kathy revealed to Law360. She added, “It’s kind of a little, you know — very unsettling.”
Ten years after Kathy met with Tom, her lawyers demanded an answer after he missed a $2 million payment from their settlement. During the deposition, Tom Girardi admitted he was broke and no longer had the millions of dollars he once possessed. Kathy's family, alongside other clients of Tom's, will have to wait out a bankruptcy process that will likely go on for several years. Kathy blames the state bar for protecting Tom and his reputation, as well as the California Public Utilities Commission for failing to protect her family. “The watchdogs for each of these groups are not watchdogs,” she said, continuing, “They are basically partners.”
Tom from RHOBH had always called Kathy and her family his favorite clients and now she sees why. Kathy trusted Tom with her money, which allowed him to allegedly use all of their money until there was none left. Now, Tom is once again accused of stealing money from families in need.
Sources: All About The Tea, Law360