For over a year now, Erika Jayne has been entangled in the legal woes surrounding her ex-husband, Tom Girardi, who is accused of embezzlement and fraud. So much so that prosecutors have claimed in the past that the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star was liable for up to $25 million of misappropriated funds originally meant for Girardi’s clients at his law firm. Yet, Erika Jayne has since been dismissed from one of the various lawsuits leveled by victims in the situation – and she shared why she thinks she was implicated in the first place.
The reality star had in fact maintained throughout Season 11 of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills that she was innocent of her husband’s supposed crimes. But she still received a ton of criticisms from co-stars and Bravo viewers who questioned her culpability. The recent lawsuit dismissal goes some way toward clearing Erika Jayne’s name, and she’s not afraid to say it. While on E! News’ Daily Pop, the Bravo alum bluntly stated,
You know, when they can't get to that man, then they turn to his partner. And that's what I think has happened. I think that I have taken a lot of the attention that should be for other people. Other people, not just person, people. I've been the whipping girl for a lot of people and I've taken the beating in the public when others should be, actually.
As a matter of fact, Erika Jayne continued that the whole ordeal would’ve been a “bad legal story” if she hadn’t been on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills these past seven years. In other words, she attributed her reality TV notoriety as the reason why the case became “magnified.”
In the wake of the dismissal news, the 50-year-old told the outlet that she has been endeavoring to “pick up the pieces” of her life by just “putting one foot in front of the other.” However, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills castmate revealed that the legal drama has indeed affected her, saying,
This has been the darkest part of my life. Just the most desperate, most afraid I've ever been in my life. Most unsure, most volatile. I've been angry, I've been sad, I've been happy, I've been everything. And it's really challenged me to my core.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is currently in the middle of filming Season 12 and rumors have it that the personal drama amongst the ladies is still at a DEFCON-5. Erika Jayne reportedly got into arguments with multiple co-stars during the cast trip to Aspen recently. Likewise, there is talk that Kathy Hilton wants out of filming altogether (again) – something perhaps to do with Lisa Rinna hinting on her Instagram Stories about a cease-and-desist letter?
Who knows? It's undeniable at this point that the women behind the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills had more than their fair share to say about Erika Jayne’s legal problems last year. She’s not out of the hole entirely, but time will tell if the lawsuit dismissal has them eating crow in Season 12 – or if they just now have evermore to discuss.
