Erika Jayne celebrated with her The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills costars after she was cleared of wrongdoing in a lawsuit filed against her and Tom Girardi (her ex-husband) in Illinois. While Erika was quick to tout the victory with her friends and online, it's not quite the end of her journey. RHOBH's Erika's case may be dismissed in the Midwest, but it is being moved to California to avoid procedural delays. It will also be notably closer to Bravo cameras.
Season 11 revolved around Erika, her legal woes, and the downfall of her marriage. The housewives were caught up with Tom's car accident from several years ago. However, the focus on the details of the accident seemed to be one of the few topics that could be discussed, as Erika wasn't at liberty to talk about the lawsuits against her. Her lawyers even warned her against sharing so much on the show in the first place. Despite criticism from the media and costars, Erika from RHOBH insisted she was innocent. She said she was unaware of all her husband's allegedly illegal behavior.
Now that the case has been moved out of Illinois, she is not entirely out of the woods. The prosecution insists they have new evidence that will be detrimental to Erika's case. According to Vulture, the December 2020 lawsuit against Jayne claims she and Tom "embezzled $2 million from a settlement for families of victims of the Lion Air Flight 610 plane crash." The money was then spent on a pair of $750,000 earrings, which Erika's attorney insisted she had no claim over. US Magazine noted that the earrings are now in the custody of a third party as the case unfolds. Garcelle Beauvais shared her two cents, saying that Erika should return the earrings. For now, Erika is showing she's still allowed to have a good time on Instagram.
Erika has treated the milestone of moving the ongoing lawsuit to California as a win. Meanwhile, she appears to be living her best life, just like she always does. Her determination to ignore a narrative that has painted her as guilty has been a rocky road to travel. She's shared on RHOBH that if she appears to be demure and depressed, she will look guilty, and if she presents as her traditional provocative self, she looks insensitive. Since this is a no-win situation, it looks like she will continue being herself. The prosecution isn't thrilled that Erika's running victory laps. They remain confident that they can put the final nail in her coffin.
RHOBH fans are eagerly waiting for the spring debut of season 12. While fans could do with a little more plotline outside of Erika's lawsuit, there's no question that the remaining question marks keep them coming back for more. With some of the highest ratings across franchises, Erika can take some credit for reviving The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, even if the final verdict on her lawsuits still hangs in the polluted Southern California air.
Sources: Vulture