- Erika Jayne’s husband, Tom Girardi, has been charged with civil contempt after being accused in a lawsuit of embezzling money from “widows and orphans” in a plane crash in 2018, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
- Girardi’s law firm represented the families of multiple victims of the Lion Air plane crash. The lawsuit alleges he kept settlement money from them to fund his and Jayne’s “lavish lifestyle.”
- On Monday, US District Judge Thomas Durkin disdained Girardi after Girardi refused to explain why he couldn’t pay the $ 2 million he owed to four of his clients, according to the Sun-Times.
- Jayne filed for divorce from Girardi in November after 21 years of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences”. The lawsuit alleges that the couple’s divorce is a “sham” to hide the misappropriated money.
- Girardi representatives did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.
- Visit the Insider homepage for more stories.
Erika Jayne’s husband Tom Girardi was held in civil contempt Monday after a lawsuit accused the personal injury attorney of embezzling settlement money owed to the “ widows and orphans ” of a plane crash in 2018, Jon Seidel of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
The star of ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ and Girardi made headlines in early December when law firm Edelson PC claimed in class action that the couple used their divorce to hide money – which was used to fund their ‘lavish lifestyle’ – which was intended for families of the victims of the Lion Air Flight 610 accident.
The new Boeing 737 MAX plane crashed into the Java Sea 13 minutes after takeoff from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, killing all 189 passengers and crew on board. Girardi’s law firm Girardi Keese represented the families of several victims.
On Monday, US District Judge Thomas Durkin disdained Girardi after Girardi refused to explain why he couldn’t pay the $ 2 million he owed to four of his clients, according to the Sun-Times.
Families of victims of the Lion Air JT 610 plane crash at the Lion Air crash site in Tanjung Priok Harbor, Jakarta, on October 29, 2019.
Dasril Roszandi / NurPhoto via Getty Images
“These are widows and orphans,” Durkin said according to the Sun-Times. Half a million dollars for each of these families is a significant amount. Life changes, given the tragedy they have been through. ‘
Durkin asked Girardi to explain what happened to the money, the Sun-Times reports. His lawyer told the judge she “advised him to refuse,” the Sun-Times said, saying Girardi would not be able to pay the $ 2 million.
The judge also frozen the assets of Girardi and his firm, according to the Sun-Times. According to the same report, Girardi spoke only once at the Chicago hearing – which he attended by phone – so that Durkin could hear his voice.
According to the Sun-Times, Durkin now plans to refer Girardi’s case to the US attorney’s office.
Tom Girardi’s business associates have also claimed that he used the money owed to them for his own personal gain
Girardi’s law firm Robert Keese, along with business partners Robert Finnerty and Jill O’Callahan, claims that Girardi never paid them the $ 315,000 in income they each owed from their joint venture, known as the 1126 Wilshire Partnership, and that they each lost $ 442,500 in equity, according to court documents viewed by Insider. Keese and his partners said they also lost $ 442,500 in equity each.
Representatives for Girardi, Keese, Finnerty and O’Callahan did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests when they reached out for comment through the Girardi Keese firm.
Jayne with cast members of the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
Charles Sykes / Bravo / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Erika Jayne shocked ‘Real Housewives’ fans when she filed for divorce from Girardi last month
Jayne, 49, filed for divorce from Girardi, 81, in November after 21 years of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences”.
“This is not a step that is taken lightly or easily,” Jayne told Us Weekly at the time. “I have a lot of love and respect for Tom and for our years and the lives we have built together.”
But Edelson PC’s lawsuit, which was filed Dec. 2, alleges that the divorce is a “mock attempt to fraudulently protect Tom and Erika’s money from those trying to collect debts from Tom and his law firm,” said court. documents. watched by Insider.
The class-action firm claims that Boeing turned over confidential settlements to Girardi Keese after the plane crash, but that the money was never distributed among the victims’ families. The lawsuit alleges that Girardi instead kept the money “for his own purposes and distributed it to his friends and family,” including Jayne.
“At the heart of this deception is Defendant Girardi and his need to fund outrageous lifestyles for himself and his future ex-wife Erika Jayne,” the complaint continues. “Tom and Erika have achieved celebrity status in the glitz and glamor worlds of Hollywood and Beverly Hills. To maintain their celebrity status, Tom and Erika must always, at all costs, exude an image of obscene wealth.”
The complaint also alleges that Girardi’s company is “on the brink of financial collapse and trapped in a downward spiral of mounting debt and dwindling funds.”
The lawsuit quotes an interview Jayne gave to E! News in 2018, showing that she spends $ 40,000 a month on her “look.”
Erika even sings a song called ‘Exxpen $ ive’, with the hook ‘It’s expensive to be me’, the lawsuit adds.
Edelson PC declined to comment when Insider reached him.
Jayne with Bravo presenter Andy Cohen.
Charles Sykes / Bravo / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Jayne and Girardi first met in the 1990s while serving as a waitress at a popular Hollywood restaurant
The couple began dating after a year of friendship and were engaged within six months, according to Us Weekly.
They were married in January 1999. In 2015, Jayne joined the cast of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
After news of the divorce filing was released, a source told Us Weekly that Jayne and Girardi often went “several months” without seeing each other.
“They would travel separately,” the source said. “Tom gave Erika a very luxurious lifestyle, and she enjoyed it. Erika gained independence and confidence from being on ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’.”
Jayne told Andy Cohen in June 2017 that she and Girardi don’t have a prenuptial agreement because “a marriage contract wouldn’t get in his way anyway.”
“I am married to a very powerful lawyer,” she told the Bravo host. “So it doesn’t matter whether you had one or not, it’s all for Tom, I assure you.”
Jayne has asked Girardi to support their partner in their divorce and to pay her legal fees. Girardi has since asked the court to end Girardi’s right to partner support and asked the reality star to pay her own attorney’s fees, according to court documents obtained by Page Six.
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