Erika Jayne will be forced to give up a pair of $750,000 diamond earrings from estranged husband Tom Girardi after a judge ruled that the item was purchased with stolen funds — although the judge found found no fault or knowledge on the part of Erika in regards to her husband’s actions.
via Page Six:
Judge Barry Russell noted during a hearing on Tuesday that the “settlement funds from the trust account created for a class action handled by Thomas’ firm Girardi Keese were used to pay for the diamond earrings.”
Russell added that while he didn’t believe the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star was aware that the gift was bought with stolen dough, she is still obligated to return them, Law360 reports (per Us Weekly.)
Disgraced attorney Girardi, 83, allegedly bought the earrings in March 2007 with money from a client trust account.
“The ruling was a major milestone in the quest to recover stolen assets by the Girardis,” Ronald Richards, the former attorney for the trustee, tells Page Six.
“It does not matter whether Erika knew they were stolen client funds or not. This ruling will be used in the future aspects of the case and is now the law of the case.”
Meanwhile, Jayne’s lawyer, Evan Borges also spoke out after the hearing.
Once again, Erika is facing consequences for past actions taken by Tom Girardi and Girardi Keese. Erika did nothing wrong,” the lawyer told Us Weekly. “In fact, the judge specifically found no fault or knowledge on the part of Erika regarding the actions by Tom Girardi and his partners at the law firm. Tom Girardi the lawyer did this.
“Legally, the judge’s decision raises an important issue of whether the law allows revisiting transactions of 15 years ago to take away a gift received by an innocent spouse. But that’s for a higher court to decide.”
Girardi has also been accused of stiffing widows and orphans who lost loved ones in 2018’s Lion Air Flight 610 crash out of their settlement funds, spending money from their class-action suit on his extravagant lifestyle with Jayne, much of which has been showcased on “RHOBH” over the years.
Originally named his co-defendant in the 2018 case, Jayne denied the charges against her and was eventually dismissed from the embezzlement lawsuit.
However, she is now facing a $50 million racketeering lawsuit and a $2.1 million “aiding and abetting” lawsuit.
“I like where I’m going to end. It’s going to be fine,” Jayne told Page Six of her legal woes back in May, adding that she’s made a concerted effort to stay positive through the hoopla.
“Even if I didn’t feel that way, I’d still tell you I felt good about it. But I really do. It’s going to be just fine.”
While we agree Erika needed to give up the earrings, there is a court process for a reason. You can’t just go around giving things over without proof or reason — otherwise every time the opposing side claims they’re owed something they’re going to expect you to just turn it over.
