"Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Erika Jayne's husband Thomas Girardi is facing more legal troubles amid a possible criminal investigation into him.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Thomas Giardi and his law firm are being sued by a company named Veritext LLC. The suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. The plaintiffs accuse Thomas of breach of contract.
In the suit. Veritext says Thomas owes them $548,941.28, which has reportedly been due since March 2019.
The company says they provided Thomas and his law firm with court reporting services. They say Thomas agreed to pay them in a timely manner. He also agreed to pay 18% interest on all delinquent accounts.
The suit says, “Defendants breached the agreement. Plaintiff competently rendered all services and provided court reporting services, as requested by Defendants … and fully complied with the terms of the agreement with Defendants. Plaintiff submitted invoices, requesting payment from Defendants. The amount sued for represents those invoices which remain unpaid by Defendants.
The new lawsuit is the latest in a string of suits filed against Thomas and his firm Girardi Keese. His former law firm partner, Robert Keese, recently sued to demand $500,000 in damages on money allegedly owed to him by Thomas.
He claims to have worked out a deal with Thomas when he retired to receive monthly checks. Robert claims the checks recently stopped coming and he wants his money ASAP.
Thomas hasn't responded to his ex-partner's claims in court.
The biggest legal battle might be the federal lawsuit filed against Thomas and Erika. The suit accuses the two of embezzling money from families of plane crash victims.
In the suit, the plaintiffs accuse Thomas of taking millions owed and using it to fund his lavish lifestyle with the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star.
The documents read, "Tom has resorted to embezzling the proceeds of settlements that should have been directed to his clients—including, as the basis for this Complaint, the widows and orphans who lost loved ones in the tragic crash of Lion Air Flight 610—in order to continue funding his and Erika’s lavish Beverly Hills lifestyles."
A hearing was held in the case this week and things didn't go well for Thomas. The judge found him in civil contempt of court for failing to explain where $2 million of his client's money went. He appeared in court via telephone. His lawyers have been trying to hype up his mental incompetency. One asked the court to have Thomas undergo a mental examination to determine if he understands the gravity of the claims in the suit.
The judge didn't seem impressed and said they were referring the case for criminal investigation.
