Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne was scolded by a federal court judge who questioned her motives in attempting to remove a lawyer investigating her.
According to court documents obtained by Radar Online, the federal court judge presiding over Jayne’s estranged husband Tom Girardi’s involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy denied a motion brought by the Pretty Mess author.
Girardi was forced into Chapter 7 bankruptcy earlier this year. He’s accused of owing tens of millions to various creditors. His former clients accuse the Bravo reality star of helping the once-respected lawyer embezzle money to pay for their expensive lifestyle.
The court appointed a trustee to take control of Girardi’s finances. Now, the official is selling off assets to pay back creditors and attempting to collect on money to the estate.
He believes Jayne received over $25 million from Girardi’s law firm. The trustee sued Erika for the return of the money. The trustee who is dealing with a ton of creditors hitting him up asked the court to hire a lawyer named Ronald Richards to focus on the Pretty Mess singer.
According to Radar Online, the court signed off on the hiring and Richards got to work. After he came onboard, Jayne started complaining that Richards had a conflict of interest because he represented another creditor who went after her husband.
She also accused him of harassing her online with nonstop tweets about the case. She pleaded with the judge to remove Richards immediately.
Jayne also demanded a gag order be put in place prohibiting the lawyer from speaking about her publicly. In the newly filed court document obtained by Radar Online, the judge says he finds Jayne’s motion “totally without merit.”
The order via Radar Online reads, “It appears to be nothing more than a blatant attempt by Ms. Girardi to impede Mr. Richards’ efforts on behalf of the trustee to investigate allegedly fraudulent transfers of the debtor’s assets to Ms. Girardi and to prosecute an action against her to recover those transfers for the benefit of the estate.”
Further, the judge says Richards’ tweets about Jayne did not violate any ethical rules. As a result, the investigation into Jayne will move forward full speed ahead.
As previously reported, the trustee slapped Jayne with a lawsuit as part of the case demanding she returns $25 million the once-respected lawyer transferred to her. The suit also demands Erika to return the luxury items Girardi gave her.
Jayne has refused to return any property claiming everything was a “gift” from her ex-husband. The problem is Girardi owes a ton of people a ton of money. His former clients accused him of using their settlement money to fund his lavish lifestyle. In court, former clients describe repeatedly asking Girardi for their money only for him to come up with excuses.
According to Us Weekly, the former lawyer told a Chicago federal judge on Monday, August 9, that if he is called to the stand, he will invoke his right to remain silent, Law360 reported.
The September hearing is related to contempt charges stemming from the December lawsuit that accused Girardi and his firm of misappropriating funds intended for families of the victims of the Lion Air plane crash.
In December 2020, class action firm Edelson PC alleged in court documents that Girardi and Erika embezzled the settlement funds intended for the Lion Air families. The firm also accused the former couple of announcing their divorce to protect their assets.
“While Erika publicly filed for divorce [in November 2020], on information and belief, that ‘divorce’ is 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 GK,” the documents claimed via Us Weekly.
The lawsuit also alleged that Tom’s “need to fund outrageous lifestyles for himself and his soon-to-be ex-wife” was the reason for the divorce filing, claiming that the disgraced lawyer used settlement funds to “release personal guarantees, pay down loans, route the money to friends and family and satisfy other outstanding debts.”
For her part, the Pretty Mess author has denied knowing anything about Tom’s finances or the whereabouts of the allegedly missing settlement funds. In a midseason trailer for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills released last month, when the women are discussing Tom’s legal trouble, Erika says, “If he stole the money, I’d like to know where it is.”
Earlier in season 11, the Pretty Mess author said that she’d asked Tom to explain the Lion Air situation to her, but claimed he refused. “I kept asking. And I was continuously shut out,” she said during the July 14 episode, according to Us Weekly. “I [pleaded], I begged, I tried. I pushed as hard as I could until I couldn’t push anymore.”
Erika has not been charged with any crimes, but in June, a judge ordered her to turn over all of her financial records. The following month, Tom’s conservatorship was made official after he was diagnosed with dementia earlier this year. His brother, Robert Girardi, was initially appointed his temporary conservator in February.
Photo Credit: Bravo Media/NBCUniversal; Shutterstock
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