Ever since the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Erika Jayne filed for divorce in November from Tom Girardi, things have completely changed for the reality star. She moved out of their shared McMansion home, subsequently leaving behind her own personal chapel, as well. She cooks her own food and does her own dishes. But, Girardi’s precarious legal situation – namely embezzlement accusations, lawsuits, and a bankruptcy case – has complicated matters even further, with Erika Jayne now facing some serious consequences and realities of her own.
In fact, Erika Jayne’s involvement has been called into question a few times by both the public and the courts. Just this past week, there have been several wild developments concerning the legal battles. Here's the latest:
Erika Jayne Receives Tough Ruling In Court Case
In the latest turn of events, Erika Jayne is being held accountable for her husband Tom Girardi’s alleged embezzlement activity. E! News reported on Wednesday that a judge ruled against Erika Jayne in favor of the Ruigomez family, allowing them to sue her for an $11 million settlement allegedly owed to them by Girardi.
The Ruigomez family cited the recent court documents from Tom Girardi’s Chapter 7 bankruptcy case that implicated Erika Jayne in the alleged crimes. Notably, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star was said to have received more than $20 million in loans from Girardi’s law firm to her businesses, which might have been meant for settlement funds to victims and creditors.
Erika Jayne Changes Lawyers
Prior to the judge’s official ruling concerning the Ruigomez’s ability to sue Erika Jayne, another interesting twist happened. The reality star actually replaced one of her lawyers for the remainder of the case, according to court documents obtained by Fox News. Attorney Evan C. Borges will be taking over for Peter Mastan.
The change is most interesting because it comes only a few weeks after those original lawyers apparently dropped Erika Jayne as a client. Within the same week, the decision was reversed, but it led many to speculate about her lawyers’ perception of her innocence after the release of the ABC News Original special, The Housewife and the Hustler. Now, a new lawyer being brought on in the 11th hour, amid other shocking developments, sounds a little risky, not to mention even more confusing.
Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Teases More About Erika Jayne’s Divorce
As the divorce and legal cases continue on, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Season 11 has been stealthily airing in the background. On the July 7 episode, Bravo teased a dramatic clip for next week. In it, Erika Jayne is seen crying and saying,
That lawsuit that says my divorce is a sham so I could hide assets — people want to believe that.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills episode teaser also shows Erika Jayne supposedly giving more of her personal thoughts on the legal drama. She calls it “insane” that she “never predicted this fucking shit,” and that “this is the end.” That was months ago, however, when the show was still filming. Lately, Erika Jayne has taken to social media to continue to put on her signature brave face:
They call Erika Jayne an “Ice Queen” for a reason on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. (Mostly because it's so hard to get a gauge on how she feels about others.) But, if these wild events of the past week have proven anything, it's that the reality star’s ice is perhaps melting.
