The new Housewife and the Hustler documentary is giving a voice to alleged victims of Thomas Girardi, and a former client also reveals what Thomas had to say about his wife Erika Jayne.
It’s safe to say that today is likely not a great day for the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star as the highly anticipated doc covering her and Thomas’ legal mess premiered today. In the special, several of Thomas’ alleged victims are sharing their side of the story as others question what the reality star knows.
Josie Hernandez, who contacted Thomas for help after suffering from “incontinence issues” following several implant surgeries, shared a voicemail the former attorney left for her after he failed to pay the $135,000 she received in her settlement. Josie calls Thomas “unbelievably cruel” for leaving the message while knowing he already had her money.
“I don’t want you mad at me. I’m working like a dog to try and get this thing resolved. … I’m in your corner,” he said in the voicemail according to Us Weekly. “I’m a good guy, by the way.”
Josie confirmed that Thomas received her settlement money in May 2020 after she filed a complaint with the California Bar, so when Thomas left the message in August 2020, she knew he was lying. To this day, Josie still hasn’t received a dime of the $135,000 settlement.
Also in the doc, Bias Ramadhan discusses his dealings with Thomas and recalls sending the former attorney weekly emails inquiring about his family’s settlement. Bias and his three siblings lost their mother in the Lion Air Flight 610 crash in 2018.
“We are the victims here. Not him, not Tom, not his wife,” he said on behalf of his family in the doc. “We just want to know, ‘Can we get our money and when we will get it?’ … We don’t even know.”
Meanwhile, Joe Ruigomez — who was seriously injured in the PG&E gas explosion in 2010 and has stated that Thomas exhibited “snake” behavior — detailed what Thomas had to say about Erika.
“Once I actually got to know Tom a little bit, he would take me out to dinner,” Joe revealed in the doc, before noting that Thomas frequently spoke about his reality star wife. “[He told me], ‘She’s the sweetest thing. Do you like this tie I’m wearing, Joe? She picked it out. Yeah, she’s really good at style.’ And, ‘Oh, look at this music video that I did for her!’”
Although the piece heavily focuses on Thomas’ alleged misdeeds, several professionals who have followed the case closely also question what Erika really knows. Law360 reporter Brandon Lowrey wonders why Erika is listed as a “secretary” on Thomas’ financial company and asks if “she benefited from this.”
“Tom and Erika, they’re stuck together in these bankruptcy proceedings,” Brandon explained in the doc. “A lot of these debts, that they owe in bankruptcy proceedings, owe together, possibly. It’s going to be hard for her to say to she didn’t know that anything was going on.”
The documentary also features Thomas’ deposition tape from September 23, 2020, in which he revealed that he’s flat broke after allegedly having $80 million in cash at one point.
“At one point I had about $80 million or $50 million in cash. That’s all gone,” he told the court in the deposition. “I don’t have any money.”
The Housewife and the Hustler Viewing Thread – This is also the viewing thread for the documentary, which began streaming on Hulu on June 14. As you watch the doc, please share your thoughts below.