Former The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dina Manzo weighs in on Tom Girardi's legal case, stating Tom and Erika Jayne need to return the money to the victims. Dina is an original housewife of the New Jersey franchise, and despite only being a main cast member for three seasons, she is a major fan favorite. Her troubles with Danielle Staub during season 2 of the show caused Dina to leave in the middle of the season in an effort to escape the drama. It was later revealed that Danielle was spreading rumors about her, trying to get Dina to lose custody of her daughter. She made her return in season 6, once Danielle and her sister Caroline Manzo were off the show.
When Dina returned for RHONJ season 6, she revealed she was no longer on speaking terms with Caroline. The two never went into detail about what caused their estrangement, but it is clear they won't be reconciling anytime soon. A few years ago, Dina and her boyfriend were attacked in their Los Angeles home, that being the second time for her boyfriend, who was previously attacked in New Jersey. It was later revealed Dina's ex-husband, Caroline's current husband's brother, was behind the attack. He hired a known mafia associate to carry out his plans. When this was uncovered, Caroline chose to speak in favor of her brother-in-law, rather than defend Dina, which deepened the divide between the siblings.
Dina is now speaking out about Erika and Tom's legal issues, claiming there are no valid excuses to defend Tom's actions. Dina posted a series of Instagram stories (captured by All About The Real Housewives) giving her opinion on the legal scandal. She acknowledged that no one asked for her opinion on the topic, but that didn't stop her from providing it anyway. Dina said she thinks Erika and Tom should sell all of their belongings in order to pay back the victims if need be. Tom is accused of embezzling millions of dollars of settlement money from victims of a plane crash. Erika is also being sued for $25 million in a civil suit for the money that ended up in her business LLC.
Dina also gave her opinion on Tom's condition, claiming he is definitely suffering from dementia. She said she is able to tell from the look in his eyes but made it clear his illness in no way excuses his past behaviors. Dina further explained it is common for someone in the early stages of dementia to seem as if nothing is wrong, when in reality they are rapidly declining. When speaking of his appearance, Dina was referencing the recent video in which members of the paparazzi questioned Tom about Erika's involvement. Dina said she decided to speak out because the look in his eyes "triggered" her.
Dina is not the first housewife to speak about Erika's legal troubles, and she likely won't be the last. Erika's former co-stars Kathryn Edwards, Camille Grammer, and Lisa Vanderpump have all spoken about it, as well as New York housewife Bethenny Frankel. Is it right for these housewives to be speaking about Erika's situation when they likely have no knowledge of the situation? Are they just trying to be shady? Erika has not held back when it comes to the other housewives, so it will be interesting to see if she responds to The Real Housewives of New Jersey star's newest comments.
Source: Dina Manzo (via All About The Real Housewives)