'RHOBH' Star Erika Jayne's Husband Scores Small Victory in $15 Million Legal Battle

The husband of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Erika Jayne will not have to worry about airing his dirty laundry for all to see in his legal battle over an allegedly unpaid loan.

According to court documents obtained by The Blast, a Los Angeles judge sided with Thomas Girardi and ordered the case to be heard in arbitration and not in public court. The decision will move the battle to a private proceeding, which keeps the details out of the public eye, something Girardi had been demanding.

Earlier this year, 79-year-old Thomas Girardi and his law firm were sued by a company named Law Finance Group. The company loaned Girardi a total of $15 million to fund the operations of his firm.

The lender said Girardi breached the deal by refusing to make a single payment on the loans, which were provided in 2015, and they claim the money was actually “used to maintain Mr. Girardi’s lavish lifestyle and to keep his prominent law firm financially afloat.”

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In the lawsuit filed, Law Finance Group claimed Girardi breached a repayment plan they agreed to in August 2018. The deal was for him to make monthly payments, along with a $1 million payment, by the end of October and $5 million by January 1.

Girardi originally agreed to use the Pasadena home he lives in with Erika as collateral in case he defaulted, the same home featured on "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

Law Finance Group says Girardi has only made "hollow promises" to repay and hasn’t paid a dime. They are suing for the full $15,151,989 owed and other damages.

Girardi disputed the allegations in the lawsuit. In a statement to The Blast, Girardi said, "The truth of the matter is this. I have not taken one penny from the law firm in the past three years. I have devoted everything to assist in the cases that we have here. Further, the money that was borrowed, we agreed to repay in approximately two weeks before the lawsuit. It is slanderous that the money was for my 'lifestyle' … every penny went for costs in cases that the firm is handling."

Erika Jayne and Thomas Girardi have been married since 1999.

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