The New York Times Covers The Legal Trouble of Real Housewife Erika Jayne
Most people in Erika Girardi’s situation would be trying to maintain the lowest possible profile. But she is a Housewife, and discretion doesn’t make for good TV.
me and @MattGoldstein26 RHONYT https://t.co/o5R4K6BIaF
- katie rosman (@katierosman) October 9, 2021
Article isn't long and not too much is new information but here are some highlights from the article published this mornTing:
- Tom Girardi has had formal complaints and allegations of misappropriating client funds for more than 40 years, but given his legal stature in California, well they were swept under the rug
- some of Erika's expenses documented in a court filing estimate " included at least $850,000 on hair, makeup and nail stylists; at least $1.3 million on promotion and marketing; and $14 million in American Express charges"
- other expenses include "payments of $1.5 million to McDonald Selznick, a talent agency; $260,000 to the law firm Greenberg Traurig; and $252,000 to Troy Jensen, a celebrity makeup artist and image consultant"
- Erika has been named in half a dozen lawsuits as a defendant that money that was supposed to go to clients was given to her EJ Global, LLC
- From her lawyer: Her lawyer Evan Borges said Ms. Girardi did not have any knowledge of the wrongdoing that her husband is accused of, nor did she know how he managed his law firm’s finances. “Erika doesn’t have personal liability for any of those transactions,” Mr. Borges said
- OP note: it has been alleged that Tom Girardi pretty much controlled all finances at Girardi Keese that could leave his fellow colleagues out of the loop, so it makes sense she wouldn't know the details of misappropriation. However given that legal complaints have gone on for decades, throughout her marriage, someone with an ostentatious lifestyle such as she, would absolutely question if clients complaining would ruin her bag. And to act clueless, for someone who once previously claimed she could pass the bar, not even a gut instinct led her to believe that these complaints were incredibly serious?
- Mr. Edelson’s law firm (Girardi's co-litigator in the Lion Air Boeing crash) also sent a civil subpoena this week to Evolution Media, the show’s production company, for any unaired recordings in which Ms. Girardi may have said anything relevant to that asset hunt.
- Ms. Ruigomez (the mother of Joseph Ruigomez, whose body was burned and whose girlfriend was killed in the 2010 San Bruno explosion) used to watch and enjoy “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The first few seasons we kind of liked her, but then we began becoming more and more concerned about our money. Is she spending our money? Now she is very unlikable on the show,” Ms. Ruigomez said. “She seems like she almost has an attitude that we victims ruined her gig.” Note from OP: I first read about this case and the formal complaint during Erika's first season of the show back in 2016, Tom's response to the complaint was that he thought the family would be irresponsible and plunder the money, so he was holding on it for the sake of Joseph's care. Fucking cretin.
- Why Sutton Stracke seemed very concerned about her name being attached was because, well, click here
- Also, there was an article in the LA Times, featuring fellow castmates: Garcelle 🥰, Sutton Stracke, and Crystal Kung Minkoff
SOURCES
New York Times
Bank of Sutton
LA Times