Female ‘Friend’ Of Erika Jayne’s Husband Turns Over Pricey Jewelry Gifted To Her By Disbarred Lawyer As Part Of Bankruptcy Battle
Oct. 11 2022, Published 12:00 p.m. ET
A female “friend” of Erika Jayne’s husband Tom Girardi has rushed back to court to return expensive items the once-respected lawyer gifted her during his marriage to the RHOBH star — as the investigation into his alleged embezzlement heats up, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, the trustee presiding over the bankruptcy for Girardi’s now-defunct law firm Girardi Keese has informed the judge of a shocking update.
Girardi stands accused of running his firm like a Ponzi scheme. Many clients claim he would secure them a financial settlement as part of a legal dispute — only to come up with excuses when it came time to pay.
In 2020, Girardi and the firm were pushed into Chapter 7 bankruptcy by creditors. Jayne has been dragged into various legal battles with many ex-clients angry that she benefitted from the alleged crimes.
The Bravo star has denied having any knowledge of her husband’s misdeeds. The victims include orphans and widows who lost loved ones in a plane crash and a fire burn victim.
The trustee sued Jayne for the return of $25 million that Girardi’s law firm used to pay the bills for her company EJ Global. The reality star moved to dismiss the lawsuit.
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Recently, the trustee was successful in convincing the judge to order Jayne to turn over a pair of diamond earrings that Girardi purchased her. Financial records allegedly showed the ex-lawyer used his client’s money to make the purchase. Jayne has appealed the decision despite many criticizing her fighting for the earrings, considering the countless victims owed money.
The judge signed off on the earrings being auctioned off along with a series of items that the trustee had recently received.
Last month, the trustee said a “friend” of Girardi turned over jewelry purchased by the disgraced lawyer during his marriage. “The pieces are a small Tiffany heart-shaped white gold and pave diamond necklace, a small Cartier gold and pave diamond necklace, a Bulgari pearl and diamond necklace, and diamond stud earrings approximately 1.75 carats each,” the filing noted.
The trustee believes the items will fetch $15k.
All signs point to the “friend” being Girardi’s mistress. The L.A. Times broke the story, that retired California appellate justice Tricia A. Bigelow returned various items gifted to her by Girardi to the trustee.
Girardi and Bigelow carried out a 4-year affair, her attorney revealed. “Justice Bigelow does not want anything even potentially connected with monies Girardi took from his client-victims,” her attorney told the L.A. Times. The relationship started in 2012 and ended in 2016.
Now, in a new filing, the trustee revealed that the “friend” “found some additional pieces of jewelry in the back of her closet.”
The three additional items—all Cartier, include a watch, a Love necklace, and a Love bracelet. The trustee believes the items could fetch an additional $9,500 at the upcoming auction.
The proceeds will be used to pay back Girardi’s victims. Attorney Ronald Richards was the first to report the news.