How Erika Jayne Celebrated Embezzlement Lawsuit Dismissal — But Is She Really ‘Off The Hook’ Completely?

L. F.

Erika Jayne finally got some good news amid ongoing legal trouble last week, but it turns out she might be celebrating prematurely!

As we reported, on Saturday, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star was “dismissed” from her ex-husband Tom Girardi’s ongoing fraud and embezzlement lawsuit. The legal trouble first arose in December 2020 when the law firm Edelson PC sued Jayne’s ex on behalf of the families of the Lion Air Flight 610 crash.

Back in October 2018, 189 passengers and crew members on the Lion Air flight were killed after the plane crashed into the sea just 13 minutes after takeoff. Girardi was representing the victims’ families at the time… but they are now accusing him and his defunct firm Girardi & Keese of stealing $2 million from the settlement. Their suit claims that the money was used to “continue funding his and Erika’s lavish Beverly Hills lifestyles.”

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Interestingly, she split from her husband of 21 years just one month ahead of the filing in November 2020, leaving many to wonder if it was a “sham” conducted to “fraudulently protect” their stolen assets.  New reports over the summer seemed to suggest she might have played a bigger part in the scandal than letting on, as well. During ABC News’ special The Housewife and the Hustler, the network shed light on court docs that alleged Tom transferred $20 million in loans to Erika’s company EJ Global LLC. And yet, as of January 29, the socialite was “dismissed” from the case in the Northern District of Illinois, court docs obtained by Page Six read:

“Pursuant to stipulation, plaintiff’s claims against defendants EJ Global LLC and Erika Girardi are dismissed without prejudice and without costs.”

Naturally, the news was incredibly relieving for the Dancing With The Stars alum to hear — and she used the weekend to celebrate the refreshing turn of events! Just one day after getting let off the case, the actress was captured in a selfie with her Bravo co-stars, she captioned the pic:

“THIS is a good time..”

She also added a throwback photo of her on stage with her fist raised in the air — as if in a victory pose — writing:

“Here for this……”

We bet!! She then took to her Instagram Story with a cryptic message to supporters, noting:

“Thank you to my friends that know me. It’s a marathon. I love you!”

But is it really time to party??

Some behind the scenes of the scandal don’t think so… Moments after Jayne’s dismissal circulated online, Jay Edelson, the founder and CEO of Edelson PC, claimed that her troubles aren’t over! His firm plans to re-file their lawsuit in California. Taking to Twitter, he insisted:

“The suit is being refiled in California (to avoid fights over jurisdiction). No chance we are letting @erikajayne off the hook, especially given the evidence we have found. All money will go fully to the victims until they are made whole.”

Addressing media reports, Jay continued:

“We have not stopped pursuing @erikajayne, just switching courts. We believe we can prove she benefitted from Tom’s ponzi scheme. Her lawyer is –again- misleading the public.”

Then on Sunday, he told Entertainment Weekly that Erika might have reason to be scared, alleging:

“We have learned a lot about Erika and [her company] EJ Global over the last year, including how they choose to conduct business, the extent to which they knew of and benefitted from Tom’s fraud, and how they have taken this tragedy and made more money off of it than most people earn in a lifetime.”

He furthered:

“We are very confident that, in the end, we will be able to demonstrate to a jury that Erika and EJ Global are legally responsible to return the money they have from the Lion Air widows and orphans. We also believe that, based on recent positions she has taken publicly and in the courts, we can pursue broader theories that may make her legally responsible for Tom’s decade-long ponzi scheme. Erika and EJ Global will be held to account.”

Yikes… that doesn’t sound so good for the TV personality!

Related: Erika Jayne Says She’ll ‘Never’ Remarry Post Tom Girardi Divorce

On the other hand, Jayne’s lawyer, Evan Borges, defended his client, arguing in a statement:

“While Edelson retains the right to re-file in California, the dismissal of Erika from the federal lawsuit that triggered bankruptcies of Girardi Keese and Tom Girardi is extremely important.”

To support his side of the case, Evan added:

“For example, the recent three-day evidentiary hearing in the Boeing case showed that Erika had ZERO role in what [Girardi Keese] and Edelson discussed, did, and didn’t do, whether as between each other or as to their clients. In fact, I’m informed Erika’s name didn’t even come up at the hearing.”

Hmm… The lawyer went on:

“We want Edelson to get the most complete picture of the evidence as possible, and have no issue with further investigation. But the truth matters. Here, the truth is that Erika had no role in the Lion Air dealings, actions, or inaction as between the attorneys and their clients, and she never received any of the Lion Air client settlement funds.”

Huh. The legal matter is clearly still ongoing, so, we’ll have to wait and see if Erika is really clear of any crimes. For now, she’s busy filming season 12 of RHOBH which we bet will include some more insight into the case when it premieres later this year.

Reactions, Perezcious readers? Surprised Erika is already celebrating when it sounds like she’s about to be dragged back into the lawsuit??

[Image via Erika Jayne/Instagram & Bravo/YouTube]

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