Erika Girardi’s Husband Tom Girardi Held In Civil Contempt As Judge Freezes His Assets Over Embezzlement Allegations!

Tom Girard has reportedly been held in civil contempt over allegedly embezzling funds from several families who lost loved ones in a 2018 Boeing plane crash amid his split from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Girardi.

According to PEOPLE, Tom, who attended the Chicago court hearing on Monday via telephone, was unable to explain to U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin where at least $2 million went from the crash settlement of Lion Air Flight 610, which departed from Jakarta, Indonesia in October 2018.

Tom and his law firm, Girardi & Keese (GK), are being held in civil contempt and have had their assets frozen by Durkin, who reportedly said during the hearing that the “simple way to cure all of this” is to pay at least four clients that are allegedly owed $500,000.

“These are widows and orphans,” Durkin said, per the publication. “Half a million dollars for any one of these families is a significant amount of money. Life-changing, given the tragedy they went through.”

Tom reportedly only spoke once via telephone during the hearing so the judge could hear his voice. When Durkin asked him what happened to the money, a lawyer representing Tom responded, “I’ve advised him to decline that.”

Tom's lawyer also told Durkin that he was not able to pay the $2 million to the clients, according to The Chicago Sun-Times.

The lawsuit came one month after the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star filed for divorce from Tom after 21 years of marriage. “After much consideration, I have decided to end my marriage to Tom Girardi,” Erika said in a statement. “This is not a step taken lightly or easily. I have great love and respect for Tom and for our years and the lives we built together. It is my absolute wish to proceed through this process with respect and with the privacy that both Tom and I deserved I request others give us that privacy as well.” 

Erika cited irreconcilable differences and is seeking spousal support from Tom. She also wants the court to determine their shared property and confirm that any gifts and inheritances are still hers. 

On November 25, Tom requested to terminate the court’s ability to award spousal support to the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star. He also asked that she pay his attorney’s fees.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, December 2, Edelson PC sued the pair for fraud and embezzlement. In court documents obtained by Us Weekly, the class action firm alleged that the estranged couple “are on the verge of financial collapse and locked in a downward spiral of mounting debts and dwindling funds” in addition to calling their separation “a sham attempt to fraudulently protect” their money from debt collectors.

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