For nearly a year and a half, Erika Jayne’s name has been frequently referenced regarding the alleged fraud, racketeering and embezzlement activities of her ex-husband Tom Girardi. Specifically, it is believed by some that she aided and abetted Girardi in the funneling of funds from his law firm (i.e. his clients and partners) to her personal entertainment company, EJ Global LLC – making her supposedly liable for upwards of $25 million in funds. Several civil lawsuits were filed as a result, but more recently, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star is being accused of seeking an “unfair advantage” in one of those lawsuits against her.
Page Six obtained new court documents for the case in which the law offices of Philip R. Sheldon and Robert Finn are suing Tom Girardi for allegedly never paying them their $5 million share for previous settlements. (The Girardi & Keese law firm, Erika Jayne, her company, and several others are also named in the suit.) In a Supreme Court of California declaration filed on May 26, they claim that the notorious Bravo reality star is aware that her company has been suspended by the state’s tax board since February and is purposefully keeping it that way to hide information. The plaintiffs’ attorney, Ronald Richards, stated in the docs:
Yet, 110 days later, EJ Global has done nothing to get the LLC out of suspended status. Plaintiffs cannot wait any longer as now Erika Girardi is using the suspension to gain an unfair advantage in the litigation.
Richards alleged that the sustained suspension on EJ Global is preventing them from completing the discovery process ahead of the next official hearing on the matter, which will take place in late July. As a result, he asked the court to implement a 10-day deadline for Erika Jayne’s company to get out of suspension, which would mean the filing of the company’s tax returns.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum and her legal team have taken the opposite position, however, claiming that such a move isn’t necessary. Jayne's attorney, Evan C. Borges, said in a statement to the outlet that the suspension is a “mess” created by Tom Girardi, his law firm and his accountants. Apparently, she has “no access to records” due to Girardi (et al) being the ones who are currently in possession of said records that they themselves managed. Borges said they’re “not giving up trying” to lift the suspension, but that it's “an extremely difficult task.” He continued:
The Sheldon plaintiffs have sued Erika on the preposterous and false theory that Erika, as a non-lawyer with a separate career as an entertainer, somehow ran the finances of the law firm and somehow participated in the decisions made by TG and GK not to pay an illegal fee-split to the Sheldon plaintiffs.
A separate motion, also obtained by Page Six, was filed last week by the Erika Jayne legal team for a protective order on her personal financial records, so they can be kept confidential. They claimed that information has no “relevance” to the lawsuit at hand.
This isn’t the only legal drama on the 50-year-old’s plate, either. Her name was dropped from one lawsuit, only to be named thereafter on a different $2.1 million suit coming from the mother of a late NFL player. Erika Jayne has also been named in docs for a $50 million civil case that alleges Tom Girardi’s scheme was the “largest criminal racketeering enterprise in the history of plantiff’s law.”
Season 12 of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (airing Wednesdays on Bravo and streaming next-day with a Peacock Premium subscription) has documented only some of Erika Jayne’s thoughts and feelings on the serious legal situation. Yet, for the most part, its focus is on the typical interpersonal drama between co-stars. However, she continues to maintain her innocence both on and off the screen.
