Erika Jayne gets another lawsuit for allegedly helping estranged husband Tom Girardi.
On Thursday, “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star, 50, and her company EJ Global, LLC were named in a new $2.1 million complaint, which was obtained by People. In the legal documents, Jayne “aided and abetted” Girardi, 82, in his alleged embezzlement activities in his law firm, Girardi & Keese.
Erika Jayne’s Attorney Responds To The Charges
The reality star’s attorney Evan C. Borges denied the allegations and said in a statement:
“The complaint is another misguided effort to blame Erika for the conduct of others in which she had no part.”
Borges also noted that “Erika has no law degree and never worked at or managed her former husband’s law firm.”
He stressed, “Whatever Mr. Girardi or others at his law firm did or said to the plaintiffs in this case, Erika had no knowledge or role in any of it,” adding, “The focus should be on Mr. Girardi, his law firm, and anyone else who enabled what he did. Piling on Erika may generate publicity, but it’s without any basis in reality.”
Did Tom Girardi Keep The Money?
According to the magazine, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of attorney Manuel H. Miller and Kathleen Bajgrowicz, mother of the late NFL star Chuck Osborne who died of head injuries in 2012. The filing claimed Jayne “knew about the scheme,” by which the former attorney allegedly withheld money due to clients and co-counsel. In addition, she was allegedly aware that victims were “funding her notoriously lavish lifestyle,” which was seen on the Bravo series.
Girardi and Miller represented Bajgrowicz when she sued the NFL over her son’s death, and they initially agreed to share the fees. After reaching a settlement with the football league, Girardi was responsible for distributing funds to Bajgrowicz and Miller, but it didn’t happen. According to them, Girardi allegedly “lulled Plaintiffs into believing that the funds could not be distributed to anyone until various issues were first resolved.”
As per Miller and Bajgrowicz, “Girardi had already taken their money and breached his and the firm’s fiduciary duty to distribute the funds to Plaintiffs.”
Did Erika Knew About The Alleged Scheme?
Jayne was “intimately involved in Girardi & Keese’s business dealings,” as mentioned in the complaint.
The lawsuit added:
“Defendants knew that Plaintiffs were fraud victims but did nothing to protect them and instead prioritized their own financial gain at Plaintiffs’ expense. Defendants should be required to compensate Plaintiffs for the harm they have caused and should be punished for aiding and abetting Girardi’s breach of fiduciary duty and their financial elder abuse of Plaintiffs.”
A Long Legal Battle
Jayne filed for divorce from Girardi in November 2020 after over two decades of marriage. The couple was sued for allegedly embezzling money worth $2 million in settlement funds from the families of Lion Air Flight 610 crash victims just a month after.
Jayne’s attorney has since denied her involvement in the embezzlement. Girardi, on the other hand, was placed under a temporary conservatorship when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Just last month, the “Lowball” actress celebrated her victory from being dismissed from the embezzlement and fraud charges against Girardi in Illinois.
“Pursuant to stipulation, plaintiff’s claims against defendants EJ Global LLC and Erika Girardi are dismissed without prejudice and without costs,” as per the January 29 court documents obtained by Page Six.
