Erika Jayne, star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, is facing a $25 million lawsuit and she has recently been ordered to give up her $750,000 earrings bought by her estranged husband, Tom Girardi. In 2020, an investigation was conducted into Tom’s legal practices, which found he was misappropriating funds that were supposed to go to his clients. The now-disbarred attorney’s shady legal dealings caused a public outcry as his clients included burn victims and the widows and orphans of the Lion Air plane crash.
As Tom’s wife, Erika was soon being investigated as well and is now being sued by the disgraced lawyer’s clients. Erika claimed she knew nothing of Tom’s financial affairs and that he was allegedly funding their lifestyle with his clients’ money. However, Erika is listed as the secretary of Tom’s law firm. The RHOBH star also received vast amounts of money from Tom to support her singing career, and many fans wondered how the "Pretty Mess" star didn’t question where it was coming from.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Tom used his clients’ funds to purchase earrings for Erika that cost $750,000 at the time. The trustees issued a court order demanding Erika give up the earrings, which is now estimated to be worth $1.4 million. Erika has yet to hand them over. But according to Page Six, Judge Barry Russell ruled that the “settlement funds from the trust account created for a class action handled by Thomas’ firm Girardi Keese were used to pay for the diamond earrings.” Judge Russell noted that he didn’t believe Erika knew that the earrings were paid for with stolen funds, but she was ordered to return them anyway.
Ronald Richards, the former attorney for the trustee, told Page Six, “The ruling was a major milestone in the quest to recover stolen assets by the Girardis. It does not matter whether Erika knew they were stolen client funds or not. This ruling will be used in the future aspects of the case and is now the law of the case.” Tom initially claimed the earrings in question had been stolen, but they were later found in their safe. Erika revealed in RHOBH season 11 that Tom has been suffering from dementia for years. Last year, a psychiatrist diagnosed the 83-year-old with dementia and late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
Erika has a long legal battle ahead of her, and her expensive earrings are some of the many luxuries she will have to give up. After filing for divorce in 2020, Erika moved out of their Pasadena mansion and moved into a three-bedroom house in Los Angeles. The RHOBH star was known for her glam squad that cost her $40,000 a month and is now having to get by with her assistant, Laia, doing her makeup. While Erika has maintained her innocence in Tom’s case, the RHOBH star is now having to pay for her estranged husband’s criminal actions.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EDT on Bravo.
Source: Page Six