Erika Girardi has hired a new attorney to represent her in her ongoing bankruptcy case amid Tom Girardi divorce and legal drama, according to Us Weekly.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star filed paperwork on Monday, July 5, notifying the court that her new lawyer, Evan C. Borges, will handle her case going forward.
Last month, her original attorney, Peter Mastan, filed a motion to be taken off Erika’s case after ABC News released The Housewife and the Hustler, a Hulu documentary about the Bravo reality star and her estranged husband. The film included interviews with several clients who claimed that the Girardis had stolen settlement money earmarked for them.
“The relationship of trust and confidence that is essential to a properly functioning attorney-client relationship has broken down and, in the good faith assessment of counsel, the relationship is irreparable,” read the petition, filed on June 14 via Us Weekly. Three days later, however, Mastan filed another petition dismissing his original request to leave the case.
The hiring of Borges comes just days after a judge ordered the Pretty Mess singer to turn over all of her financial records no later than Wednesday, July 21, at 5 p.m. The requested documents include bank statements, cashier’s checks, money orders, and any emails or texts related to her finances.
Erika had previously been accused of refusing to submit those documents during the ongoing bankruptcy case against Tom, reports Us Weekly. Erika has not been charged with any crime, but her legal woes have intensified as authorities investigate her ex’s finances amid her ongoing divorce proceedings.
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: Bravo Media/NBCUniversal
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