Erika Jayne Called ‘Frontwoman’ For Tom Girardi’s Law Firm’s Criminal Operation!

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, Erika Jayne, has been slammed by a new set of accusations levied by a Chicago law firm. A new racketeering federal lawsuit accused the reality star of serving as a “frontwoman” for a “criminal enterprise,” the Chicago Sun-Times reports. 

Edelson PC is expanding claims first made in a lawsuit filed on December 2, 2020, which accused Erika’s estranged husband, Tom Girardi’s law firm, Girardi Keese, of ripping off more than $100 million from clients, business associates, vendors, and individuals. Erika has been accused of using her role on the Bravo show to lie about her involvement in the Ponzi scheme type activity and to conspire with Tom amid their ongoing divorce. 

Erika is a named defendant in a federal lawsuit that alleges her estranged husband embezzled settlement funds owed to family members of victims of a 2018 Lion Air plane crash. The lawyer repping the family members revealed in November that financial records prove that “money that belonged to the surviving widows and orphans of the victims of that plane crash had, in fact, been used to make payments for Erika or her companies.” The lawyer and the trustee overseeing Tom’s bankruptcy case struck an agreement that allowed Erika to be personally sued by the widows and orphans of the crash victims. 

Edelson asked U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin to allow Edelson and its insurer to reimburse certain Lion Air plaintiffs who had their payouts seemingly stolen by Tom’s firm. The plan states that they would then go after “those responsible” in order to recover the money. 

Edelson attached a draft of the racketeering lawsuit headed for a northern California federal court as a 67-page exhibit. 

“The draft is subject to change but is a fair representation of the claims Edelson intends to bring,” J. Eli Wade-Scott wrote. 

The draft claims that Girardi Keese “was little more than a criminal enterprise, disguised as a law firm” and compares its story to “a tale out of a John Grisham novel.” It alleges that the firm would pay non-lawyers called  “case runners” to secure injured clients as new case opportunities arose. The firm would hash out settlement deals and later allegedly dodge inquiries  after the cash “was funneled into the black hole that was the Girardi Keese scheme.”

The draft also alleges that Erika acted as a “frontwoman” who put out a narrative of her husband’s firm’s success to a worldwide audience. 

“And she was exceptionally good in the role,” the document claims. “With tens of millions of dollars backing her, Erika shamelessly displayed a nationwide showroom of the money they stole on Real Housewives, famously spending $40,000 per month on her ‘look,’ and releasing a song called ‘XXPEN$IVE’ —featuring the refrain ‘It’s expensive to be me.’”

Edelson accused Erika of lying about claims against the firm during an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live” and on RHOBH reunion episodes. The draft noted that Erika’s story of a 2017 car accident involving her husband had “changed dramatically.” Erika alleged that Tom drove off the side of a cliff and suffered a traumatic brain injury in an episode filmed in December 2020, despite previously claiming that her husband had only broken his ankle. Erika recounted the story the same day as Tom’s lawyers first raised concerns about his mental competency in court.   

“By all accounts, Erika’s new story appears to be fabricated,” the firm alleged.

The firm added that Erika and Tom filmed a scene only weeks after the accident and that he “was not wearing any casts, slings, or harnesses of any kind and appeared to be moving his arms and shoulders normally.” Local police reportedly “have no record of Tom’s accident taking place and have no evidence whatsoever of the crash.”

Stay Connected With All About The Tea: Twitter Ι Instagram Ι YouTube Ι Facebook Ι Send Us Tips