As her scandal continues, Erika Jayne has insisted that she is broke and that her life has been ruined.
In many ways, that is true. She was once a beloved Housewife, and now many viewers have turned on her.
But a prominent attorney involved in the case thinks that, in many ways, Erika hasn't fallen as far as she suggests.
As far as he is concerned, Erika has made a lot of PR blunders, and her lifestyle is exactly as it was before.
Jay Edelson spoke on the Reality Life With Kasey podcast this week.
“I mean there are reports that she’s making as much as $600,000 for the [Real Housewives of Beverly Hills] season,” Jay noted.
Yeah, Erika Jayne's Bravo paychecks are not too shabby, to say the least.
“And she’s got her glam squad and, you know, we all have to cry along with her," Jay mocked.
“The idea that you’re slumming in a $10,000 a month place is really offensive," the attorney commented.
"She’s got a lot of fans, but I doubt many of them are spending $10,000 a month to live," Jay observed.
Jay Edelson continued: "I doubt many of them have glam squads.”
“This whole thing [she said of], ‘Oh, I’ve got these homes I’ve never even heard of. Let me Google where they are,'" Jay continued.
The attorney expressed: "All of it is just so tone deaf."
“Her character, the one that she’s portraying is this, ‘I’ve got tons of money and I don’t give an F,'" Jay characterized.
"That’s totally fine. That’s great. It makes great reality TV," the attorney continued.
Jay stated: "But it stops the second you stole money from widows and orphans.”
Jay Edelson suggested that the legal scandal should have been a game changer for Erika and how she presents herself.
First of all, she should have "changed tacks" when it came to her public image.
And specifically, she could ahve taken some very public, very positive action with regard to the victims.
“Maybe, you want to do something to actually make sure those people are made whole," Jay suggested.
"She could do that,” he went on.
“She could do a fundraiser in a second," Jay noted, "and pay off the $2 million in the judgment that are owed to these people.”
Additionally, he said that the case against her and Tom has been helped a lot ... but this season of the show.
“This season of Real Housewives, as painful as it has been to watch -- just because I’m watching through the eyes of the victims," Jay said.
He added that "it’s given us a lot of evidence."
That doesn't mean that it's the exact same thing as testimony, however.
“On TV, you can say whatever you want," Jay admitted.
He added: "Under oath, you got to tell the truth.”
It's certainly true that Erika's on-screen behavior has not helped her.
At least, it cannot have helped her case.
Many have suggested that any responsible attorney would tell her to not discuss the case.
However, attorneys need to be paid. And without her fortune, Erika certainly needs the show to pay those bills.
Everyone is watching her on screen, and her source of income could also end up getting her into more trouble.
At the same time ... it has been a ratings goldmine all season long. Bravo might be the only winner in this story.