In a surprising turn of events, it appears that the legal team hired by The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne has reversed course and will continue representing the disgraced reality TV personality. Last week, it was announced that the attorneys representing the 49-year-old Georgia native and RHOBH star submitted a formal motion to withdraw. The announcement followed the release of the ABC News documentary The Housewife and The Hustler, which detailed the impropriety of Jayne’s soon-to-be ex-husband and renowned Erin Brockovich lawyer Tom Girardi. The latter was known for litigating against larger entities on behalf of individuals they wronged and had earned a reputation for winning significant settlements for the firm’s thousands of clients.
The documentary, released on Hulu this week, outlined a number of alleged crimes committed by 82-year-old lawyer Girardi, who had practiced law in California since the early ’70s. In addition to failing to repay millions of dollars in loans, the estranged husband of RHOBH star Jayne is accused of stealing money from settlement victims represented by his sprawling firm, Girardi & Keese. Among these individuals were orphans and widows who lost family members in the 2018 Lion Sea plane crash.
Now attorney Ronald Richards has shared on Twitter that RHOBH star Jayne’s legal team has “withdrawn their motion to withdraw.” In the same tweet, Richards explained that “the urgent and immediate breakdown of the attorney-client relationship has now been miraculously fixed.” Fielding questions from inquisitive fans, Richards responded to a tweet asking whether or not the hours of unused RHOBH footage could be admitted in the case against the couple. He replied, “Those are harder to subpoena. They don’t always release those on first amendment grounds, but we will try.”
It is not clear at this point the extent of Jayne’s involvement in her estranged husband’s alleged crimes. The "Xxpen$ive" singer has denied any knowledge of Girardi’s wrongdoings and maintains that she was blindsided when news of his misconduct broke. The documentary did make clear, however, that the money being skimmed by Girardi was in part subsidizing Jayne’s pop star aspirations and extensive glam, sometimes totaling up to $40,000 a month. Former RHOBH star Lisa Vanderpump recently called out her former castmates for their hypocritical handling of the situation, who have been relatively tight-lipped regarding their feelings about Jayne.
New episodes of RHOBH are currently airing on Bravo. Season 11 is set to unearth even more salacious details about Girardi’s alleged crimes. Amid mounting scrutiny of the couple, fans are eager to see how the drama unfolds.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Wednesdays at 8pm on Bravo.
Source: Ronald Richards/Twitter