The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne‘s husband is in hot water.
According to a new report, attorney Thomas Girardi and his firm, Girardi Keese, are facing a massive lawsuit after allegedly taking out $15 million in loans in 2015 in a reported effort to fund his luxurious lifestyle and keep their law firm “financially afloat.”
On January 18, The Blast obtained court documents regarding the suit, which reveals the Law Finance Group is suing Thomas and his firm for the full amount of $15 million, plus damages, and claiming Thomas refused to make a single payment towards the balance.
Erika, 47, and Thomas, 79, have been married since 1999 but when it comes to her time on the RHOBH, she isn’t joined by Thomas too frequently. Instead, Thomas has made a handful of guest appearances while focusing on his busy career.
“It is now apparent that Mr. Girardi’s reputation is exceeded only by the lavish nature of his lifestyle,” the documents read.
In the documents, Thomas is said to be a “prominent and well-known” Los Angeles attorney who used the loans “to maintain [his] lavish lifestyle and to keep his prominent law firm financially afloat.”
Although Thomas promised to use his firm’s proceeds and legal fees as collateral on the loan, his words have since been labeled as “hollow promises.”
According to the lawsuit, Thomas agreed to a payment plan with Law Finance Group in August 2018 that required him to make a $1 million payment and monthly payments through October and a $5 million payment by January 1. However, Thomas reportedly breached the agreement and is yet to give any money to the company.
Thomas was also said to have told the company he would use the Pasadena home he shares with Erika as collateral in case of a potential default.
During an episode of The Wendy Williams Show last year, Erika admitted she often spends up to $40,000 each month on herself.
“That is true. You know, it can get there for sure,” Erika said. “If you want to look good it’s hair, it’s makeup, it’s wardrobe, and then those people that help facilitate that. They’re not cheap, you know?”
Erika also frequently flies private but explained that at times, if her husband is in need of his jet, she’s forced to fly commercial.
“I was commercial here, so I’m mixed. It’s really, like, Tom’s plane, because it’s for business. He comes first,” she noted.
Tom and his law firm were also sued back in 2016 for $130 million in a lawsuit that accused them of misappropriating funds that were awarded in a class-action lawsuit against Lockheed. Ultimately, that lawsuit ended up being dismissed.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season nine premieres on Tuesday, February 12 at 9 p.m. on Bravo TV.
UPDATE: In a statement to The Blast, Tom denied any wrongdoing, referring to the allegations in the lawsuit as “slanderous.” Below is his statement.
“The truth of the matter is this. I have not taken one penny from the law firm in the past three years. I have devoted everything to assist in the cases that we have here. Further, the money that was borrowed, we agreed to repay in approximately two weeks before the lawsuit. It is slanderous that the money was for my ‘lifestyle’ … every penny went for costs in cases that the firm is handling.”
Photo Credit: Bravo TV