Former high-profile L.A. attorney Tom Girardi and his now-ex-wife Erika Girardi continue to be under scrutiny for what is being described by some as the “largest criminal racketeering enterprise” in history. Tom is accused of embezzling millions from ex-clients and business partners, which has resulted in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy of his law firm and several lawsuits seeking recompense. Erika, also known by her stage name Erika Jayne on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, is named in conjunction on those suits for reportedly aiding and abetting the scheme.
She has denied any culpability, yet her co-star Crystal Kung Minkoff (and others) seem to believe otherwise, as was seen in the Season 12 trailer of their show. Lately, Kung Minkoff has shared why it was “very easy” for her to side with the alleged victims involved.
There was a lot of doubt circling amongst the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast even last season about Erika Jayne’s side of the legal situation. The 50-year-old was noticeably prickly about being questioned by the group, which apparently escalated further in Season 12. In fact, a huge blowup is expected to take place over Crystal Kung Minkoff having a much firmer stance on the matter. In her own defense, Kung Minkoff told Page Six,
Here’s the thing. It’s hard for me to lean into something or go after someone if I’m not quite sure. But in this situation, defending victims is very easy. So it doesn’t bother me, you know what I mean?
Though the reality star clearly feels for the reported victims, it isn’t exactly certain if she believes that Erika Jayne is guilty of what she’s accused of or if she blames Tom Girardi more specifically. (Girardi himself hinted in the past that his wife knew what was going on, but the 82-year-old’s comments remain questionable due to his dementia diagnosis.) Whatever the real case may be, Erika Jayne leveled accusations of her own during the new season that Crystal Kung Minkoff wanted to be on the victims’ sides purely because she thinks “it’s cool.” Kung Minkoff thumbed her nose a bit at the insinuation, saying,
It’s super cool [to support the victims]. I’m the coolest.
Nevertheless, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star added that she was also on relatively “cool” terms with her controversial co-star at the time of filming the reality series. According to her, Erika Jayne was “very helpful” amidst her other conflicts going on in Season 12. But she added that when it comes to true friendships, she expects mutual accountability for “doing something wrong,” and supposedly in that regard, Erika Jayne was willing to “hash things out.”
Holding others accountable for misdeeds would seem a hard task when the accused party doesn’t believe they’re in the wrong. Along with constantly denying the legal accusations, Erika Jayne went in hard at the last reunion that she isn’t about to stop showing off her lavish lifestyle on the Gram, either, because she’ll be criticized no matter what. In the new season trailer, she callously revealed that she doesn’t care about anyone but herself. And before that, the star claimed that the visibility of being on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is why she is actually implicated with Tom Girardi, not necessarily because of any real wrongdoing on her part.
At present, Erika Jayne is still fighting off a number of lawsuits, including one with a whopping $50 million price tag. And it appears that her list of personal allies grows thin, given Crystal Kung Minoff’s recent statements and the book-burning feud with her other co-star Garcelle Beauvais. Stay tuned for more on that context when the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills premieres Season 12 on Bravo on May 11 at 8 p.m. EST!
