Erika Jayne: Deserted by Attorneys in Wake of Devastating Documentary

Tom Girardi is under fire, accused of fleecing millions from his clients.

Many eyes are also focused upon Erika Jayne, despite her divorce filing last year.

The scrutiny has only intensified after a recent Hulu documentary walked the world through the accusations.

Erika’s attorneys have deserted her, and the attorney pursuing her husband is aiming to take everything from the couple.

Jay Edelson is the attorney who has filed a class-action lawsuit against Tom Girardi.

On Wednesday, Jay was a guest on the Reality Life with Kate Casey podcast.

There, the conversation turned to Erika … and her alleged complicity in Tom’s scandal.

“We believe we’re going to be able to prove that Erika was incredibly involved,” Jay announced.

He accused Erika of being involved “in not just the law firm, but also, he was loaning money to her company.”

Jay added: “10s of millions of dollars to her company.”

“And we think that money came from client funds,” Jay expressed.

He vows that he and the entire legal team will “look into all of that.”

Jay added that “that’s all going to be, you know, part of proof that we showed to a jury.”

Jay intends to show the court “that she was knee-deep in this fraud.”

“And she can say, ‘Oh, she didn’t know anything about it,'” he added.

“And I think that’s going be hard for [Erika] to convince a jury of,” Jay expressed.

Jay has claimed that Tom Girardi pocketed settlement money from clients after winning court victories on their behalfs.

This money, he accuses, was used to fund his lavish way of life and Erika’s.

“She was basically taking client funds and using it to fund her lifestyle,” Jay declared.

“And if we’re successful [in our case],” Jay shared.

He continued “that means that we’re going to be able to get whatever possessions she has back.”

Jay said that Erika’s possessions could be seized “in order to pay off any sort of judgment.”

According to Jay, Tom and Erika are currently “on the verge of financial collapse.”

“And,” he continued, “locked in a downward spiral.”

Jay described this as a spiral “of mounting debts and dwindling funds.”

Jay didn’t stop there, either.

He also asserted that Erika’s divorce from Tom is simply a “sham.”

He believes that it was concocted to shield some of their financial assets from the lawsuit.

“There’s no exception of, you know, this is a valuable piece of artwork,” Jay described.

“I mean, it gets really nasty when you get a judgment and someone doesn’t want to pay,” he detailed.

Jay added that “you literally can depose them and say we want to go through your purse, take out the possessions in your purse.”

Jay continued: “you know that is no longer yours.”

it sounds like he has definite plans about how to represent his clients if this case goes that way.

That sounds … potentially painful for all parties involved, honestly.

In December, Tom and Erika were sued for failing to pay $882,715 in a judgment.

It is claimed that Tom is broke.

The family also says that Tom is struggling with memory loss.

We of course want to emphasize that Erika has not been charged with any crimes in this matter.

However, she is being represented in the lawsuit.

Unfortunately, she just encountered a complication.

It has been reported by multiple outlets that Erika’s attorneys have deserted her.

Her lawyers with Dinsmore & Shohl LLP filed paperwork early this week to withdraw their representation.

Notably, this took place almost immediately after the airing of the documentary about Tom and Erika’s scandal.

“The relationship of trust and confidence that is essential to a properly functioning attorney-client relationship has broken down,” the attorneys claimed.

“And,” they continued, “in the good faith assessment of counsel, the relationship is irreparable.”

“Withdrawal is appropriate under such circumstances,” the attorneys alleged after notifying Erika on Monday.

Tom Girardi and Erika Jayne Targeted by Hustler and the Housewife Documentary

Last year, the entire world was stunned by Erika Jayne filing to divorce Tom Girardi.

After 22 years of marriage, it was stunning.

Even more shocking was the scandal that followed — accusations that Tom had fleeced millions from his own clients.

Now, a documentary has shed light upon the clients accusing him of robbing them of their hard fought settlements.

Erika Jayne is straight-up not having a good time.

This week, Hulu aired their documentary on the scandal surrounding her and her high-powered attorney husband.

Tom Girardi is accused of stealing millions from his own clients.

In The Hustler and the Housewife, multiple victims came forward to share their accusations and experiences.

One was Josie Hernandez, who reached out to Tom to represent her after several implant surgeries.

She had struggled with incontinence following the surgeries, and needed his help as an attorney.

Tom took Josie’s case, and she ended up being awarded $135,000 in her settlement.

In the documentary, Josie shared a voicemail that Tom left her after failing to pay that money to her.

She called him “unbelievably cruel,” because according to her accusations, he already had her money.

“I don’t want you mad at me,” Tom expressed to her in th voicemail.

“I’m working like a dog to try and get this thing resolved,” he pledged. “I’m in your corner.”

“I’m a good guy, by the way,” Tom assured her on the recording.

That was in August of 2020.

This was months after she filed a complaint with the California Bar and learned that Tom already had the money.

So she knew that Tom was allegedly lying.

Bias Ramadhan also spoke about his dealings with Tom Girardi.

He shared that he had at one point been sending Tom weekly emails.

At the time, he had hoped to hear about his family’s settlement.

Bias and his three siblings tragically lost their mother in the Lion Air Flight 610 crash, in 2018.

“We are the victims here. Not him, not Tom, not his wife,” Bias emphasized.

He explained: “We just want to know, ‘Can we get our money and when we will get it?’ … We don’t even know.”

Joe Ruigomez was severely burned in the PG&E gas explosion in 2010.

His body remains covered in scars, as you can see in the clip that we have included.

According to Joe, Tom displayed “snake” behavior as his representative.

“Once I actually got to know Tom a little bit, he would take me out to dinner,” Joe shared.

He divulged: “[He told me], ‘She’s the sweetest thing. Do you like this tie I’m wearing, Joe? She picked it out.'”

“‘Yeah, she’s really good at style.’ And, ‘Oh, look at this music video that I did for her!’” Joe cited.

Obviously, Tom was the focus of the documentary, since he was the attorney accused of misdeeds.

However, there was of course speculation alongside questions about Erika.

What did she know about her husband’s alleged thefts?

A reporter noted that Erika was listed as a “secretary” on Tom’s financial company.

The question was whether “she benefitted from this” in any tangible way.

And, if she did, did she know at the time.

“Tom and Erika, they’re stuck together in these bankruptcy proceedings,” Brandon the reporter characterized.

“A lot of these debts, that they owe in bankruptcy proceedings, owe together, possibly,” he added.

“It’s going to be hard for her to say to she didn’t know that anything was going on,” Brandon predicted.

In the documentary, a clip from Tom’s deposition aired.

In it, he claimed that he had once had as much as $80 million, $50 million of which was in cash.

Now, Tom claimed, he is broke. “I don’t have any money.”

Tom Girardi BLASTS Conservatorship in Court: Dissolve It! FREE TOM!

In late 2020, the world was stunned by Erika Jayne’s divorce filing.

She and Tom Girardi had seemed like they would be married forever.

Since then, her embattled ex has lost his law license and been placed under a conservatorship.

In court this week, Tom spoke out for the first time about his new situation.

On Wednesday, June 9, the 82-year-old former attorney attended a virtual court hearing.

Via remote video chat, Tom addressed the situation in court.

“Obviously,” Tom announced, “I disagree with the conservatorship altogether.”

Tom’s brother, Robert Girardi, has been placed in control of managing his person, his estate, and his finances.

Tom shared that he plans to bring the conservatorship to an end.

This is a notoriously difficult task to accomplish.

“I think that we should put together the reasons why the conservatorship should be dissolved,” Tom suggested.

“And then we’ll address it, address the court,” he laid out.

Tom continued: “Right now, I have nothing to say to the court.”

Despite Tom’s objections, the judge ruled in favor of the conservatorship.

Robert has been placed in charge of Tom’s health, healthcare, day-to-day dealings.

The larger responsibilities of managing Tom’s estate and finances can be equally complicated and involved.

Tom was placed under this temporary conservatorship in February.

That was when his brother first took charge of his daily activities and personal care.

If Tom is looking for someone to blame for this situation, he may look no further than one of his own attorneys.

In December of 2020, one of Tom’s attorneys reported to the court that Tom was hospitalized with a “serious illness.”

At the time, questions were raised about Tom’s mental capacity and legal competency.

In March, court documents revealed that Tom was diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimer’s and with dementia.

In November of 2020, the world learned that Erika had filed to divorce Tom.

After 20 years of marriage, this was a stunning development.

Time and time again, Erika had been seen defending and praising her marriage to fellow Housewives.

“After much consideration, I have decided to end my marriage to Tom Girardi,” Erika announced in a statement at the time.

“This is not a step taken lightly or easily,” she acknowledged.

“I have great love and respect for Tom,” Erika affirmed, “and for our years and the lives we built together.”

“It is my absolute wish to proceed through this process with respect,” Erika stated.

“And with the privacy that both Tom and I deserve,” she added.

Erika then asked: “I request others give us that privacy as well.”

However, that was not the end of things.

The following month, Tom and Erika were sued with allegations of fraud and embezzlement.

The two were accused of swindling $2 million in settlement money intended for widows and orphans.

Additionally, the firm suing the couple alleged that the divorce was “simply a sham.”

Erika was accused of leaving Tom in an “attempt to fraudulently protect Tom’s and Erika’s money.”

Allegedly, the move was to shield money “from those that seek to collec ton debts owed by Tom and his law firm.”

Tom was sued again later in that same month.

The allegation was that his company had breached a written agreement and conversation with Wells Fargo Vendor Financial Services.

The banking behemoth demanded $882,715 be paid immediately to settle an outstanding bill.

Tom Girardi, Ex-Husband of Erika Jayne, Has Law License Pulled After Alzheimer’s Diagnosis

In November of 2020, fans were stunned as Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi announced their divorce.

Fans speculated wildly about causes, citing everything from cheating to a clever financial ploy.

This week, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fans got answers that many had never imagined.

As of yesterday, Tom has lost his license to practice the law … after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Us Weekly reports that on Wednesday, March 10, an affidavit written by clinical psychiatrist Dr. Nathan Lavid was filed.

In that document, Dr. Lavid offered attested that the 81-year-old suffers from “moderate” delusions and impairment.

According to the affidavit, Tom is unable to attend court hearings on any matters and will remain so “for the foreseeable future.”

“Dementia impairs his ability to understand the hearing,” Dr. Lavid wrote.

“His emotional distress is directly related to his dementia,” the affidavit continued.

“And,” Dr. Lavid warned, “exacerbated by his confusion.”

This news comes on the heels of another revelation from earlier this week regarding Tom’s law license.

The State Bar of California declared that Tom is “not eligible to practice law.”

If you know how difficult it is to get someone’s law license revoked, you know how big of a deal that is.

Now, it seems clear that Tom’s lack of eligibility is due to his diminished mental capacity.

It takes more than just obvious public signs of cognitive struggles to lose a law license.

(This topic was broadly explored late last year, as many members of the public wondered how Rudy Giuliani was still permitted to practice)

Tom Girardi has previously claimed in court that he is flat broke, saying that he doesn’t have “any money” left.

He is currently being sued by partners Robert Keese, Robert Finnerty, and Jill O’Callahan.

Their firm, Girardi Keese, is said to also be in debt to Wells Fargo to the tune of $882,000.

In December of 2020, a judge froze Tom’s assets. (If you know how hard it is to get a judge to do that, then you know how dire things must be.)

Tom’s brother, Robert Girardi, was named his temporary conservator.

“There was an urgent need for Bob Girardi to have the power to engage counsel in the bankruptcy proceeding on his brother’s behalf,” Tom’s attorney explained in February.

Robert claimed in court that Tom’s current cognitive struggles make it impossible for him to manage his own case.

He claimed that Tom is “incapable of realizing and understanding the repercussions of the bankruptcy filings pending against him and the Debtor.”

Robert is preparing to pursue a permanent conservatorship over his brother’s estate, personal matters, health, and even day-to-day activities.

With conservatorships being a hot topic among disability rights advocates and the #FreeBritney movement, this is a now familiar topic.

There have been a number of calls for laws on the matter to change in order to safeguard against abuses.

However, many have noted that some people do need help managing their lives … and Tom may be one of them.

Real Housewives star Erika, 49, has not publicly commented on Tom’s alleged health issues.

(She has accused Tom of cheating on her … it is unclear how these reports might change her view.)

It is expected that all of this and more will be brought up on Season 11 of RHOBH, which of course is currently filming.

This is a truly difficult thing for anyone to go through, and is an understandably sensitive topic for Erika, with or without the divorce. 

She has to be weighing how much to discuss in public … but this news going public may give her license to address it on camera.

Of course, given her line of work, she may not have much of a choice.

If she doesn’t talk about it herself, we all know that her fellow Bravo cast members will ask her about it until she does.

Or just talk about it behind her back.