Tom Girardi, the estranged husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne, is another celebrity who was approved for a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), according to Us Weekly.
The news comes after Bachelor Nation alums Tayshia Adams, Colton Underwood, and more were revealed to have accepted loans from the government’s PPP initiative, designed to help small business owners retain their employees during the coronavirus pandemic.
The 82-year-old disgraced lawyer Girardi is in the midst of a legal battle surrounding his former law firm, Girardi Keese. According to data released by the PPP via Us Weekly, the firm was approved for a $1.5 million loan on April 15, 2020. The money was supposed to be used to pay the firm’s 84 employees, but it is not clear if the firm ever received the loan or if it was distributed to workers.
In the ABC News documentary, The Housewife and the Hustler, which was released earlier this month via Hulu, Girardi was shown admitting that he was broke during a deposition just five months after the firm applied for the PPP loan. “At one point I had about $80 million or $50 million in cash,” he said in September 2020. “That’s all gone. I don’t have any money. I also had a stock portfolio of about $50 million, and that’s all gone.”
Erika and Tom made headlines in November 2020 when the Bravo reality star filed for divorce after 20 years of marriage. The following month, the estranged couple was sued for fraud and embezzlement.
In addition to accusing them of swindling $2 million in settlement funds intended for families of victims of a 2018 plane crash, class action firm Edelson PC claimed in federal court documents that the divorce was “simply a sham attempt to fraudulently protect Tom’s and Erika’s money from those that seek to collect on debts owed by Tom and his law firm.”
Tom faced a second lawsuit later that month, alleging that his company breached a written agreement and conversation with Wells Fargo Vendor Financial Services. The bank sought immediate payment on the $882,715 outstanding bill.
The 82-yar-old was placed under a temporary conservatorship in February when his brother assumed control of his daily activities and personal care. One of Tom’s attorneys claimed in court in December 2020 that he was hospitalized for a “serious illness,” raising questions about his mental competency. Court documents revealed in March that Tom was diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Photo Credit: YouTube; Bravo Media/NBCUniversal
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