If you’d asked us a few hours ago, we honestly wouldn’t have any idea how to spend $25 million in the matter of a few short years — but now that we’ve seen these new allegations in the ongoing case against Tom Girardi‘s embattled law firm, well, that spending spree seems a lot more possible!
At the center of the drama now is Tom’s estranged wife Erika Jayne, who is the focus of a new legal demand letter sent to her lawyer on Thursday. In the letter, as reported by Page Six on Friday morning, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star allegedly went way over the top in spending more than $25,000,000 purportedly sent directly to her from the Girardi Keese law firm.
OMG!!!
In the letter, lawyers for the trustee overseeing the Girardi Keese bankruptcy fallout claim to have discovered evidence that Girardi transferred the HUGE amounts of money to Jayne’s company, EJ Global, LLC, of which she is the “sole owner” and representative.
The letter, which will apparently be filed as part of an amended complaint attached to the official bankruptcy proceedings, reads in part:
“Mrs. Girardi signed under penalty of perjury the return and personally approved the charges allocated to the breakdown.”
As for the breakdown, the trustee’s lawyers provided a list of payments that they say took place from 2oo8 through 2020, and involved the money transferred to Jayne’s account from Girardi Keese.
According to the trustee’s lawyers, at least (Erika’s team disputes these claims), those alleged charges and payments over a 12-year period include (below):
- $14,259,012.84 charged to an American Express card.
- $1,532,774.88 paid to the McDonald Selznick Associates Agency, which describes itself as “the first agency dedicated to represent dancers and choreographers exclusively.”
- $102,596.77 to Stephanie Shepherd (yes, that is Kim Kardashian‘s former executive assistant).
- $17,415 to Opus Beauty, another agency that claims to represent the “best and most influential and sought after artists in the business.”
- $10,400 to the Los Angeles Times Magazine.
- $8,480 to E5 Global Media, the company that publishes Billboard Magazine and The Hollywood Reporter.
- $1,000 to Mario Dedivanovic, better known as Makeup by Mario and as Kim K’s makeup artist.
- And finally, $1,417,587.50 on “unknown purchases.”
Page Six also notes that multiple public relations firms were listed as being paid “high sums of money from the account” belonging to Erika during this time, as well.
OK, first off, we can’t even imagine putting over $14 million on a credit card in the span of 12 years. WTF!!!
Thinking of dropping $100K or so a month is unfathomable, especially considering how much we stress when we splurge on the ordering in when we KNOW we have food at home we need to cook. LOLz!
Related: Here’s Why Erika Reportedly Started A ‘Screaming Fight’ With ‘RHOBH’ Producers…
Seriously, though, there could be some major legal ramifications over that list of spending splurges: a lawyer representing the bankruptcy trustee is already publicly demanding that the 50-year-old RHOBH star pay back $28 million to the firm to cover those purchases — the original total, plus interest! Yikes!
Ronald Richards, the lawyer in question, referenced the most recent episode of the hit Bravo TV show in telling Page Six (below):
“It is immaterial whether she knew her husband had improperly diverted funds from clients. What is relevant is that she received complete and total value for the receivable and a formal demand for payment was sent. We are hopeful she backs up her on-air statement last night that the victims come first.”
Ooof! That last sentence certainly strikes right down to the heart of it, doesn’t it?!
Jayne’s attorneys aren’t taking this without a fight, though, and they quickly termed the trustee’s allegations a “malicious and reckless publicity grab.” Furthermore, the reality star’s defense team is contesting the pay-back claim altogether.
In their own statement defending the Housewives star, her legal team argued:
“Erika never had and does not have personal liability for any debts or obligations of EJ Global, LLC, period. None of the payments and no money whatsoever went to Erika. On behalf of Erika, we will seek all appropriate remedies against all responsible parties for claims such as these, [and she] is entitled to move on with her life without this sort of harassment.”
Hmm… with those two lawyers pretty much diametrically opposed in their view of this alleged transfer of funds, something tells us they are going to be fighting this case for quite a while!
Related: Wait, Are Erika Jayne And Scooter Braun Really A Thing?!
Thoughts, Perezcious readers? What do U think of Erika’s side of the story now — have things changed for you one way or another in light of this new evidence and these new claims??
Sound OFF with your take on the matter here down in the comments (below)…
[Image via FayesVision/WENN/YouTube]
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